THIS IS WDSU NEWS AT TEN. TIME NOW IS 1054. AFTER THE PARTIAL BUILDING COLLAPSE LAST WEEK, ALONG O’KEEFE NEAR NEARBY BUSINESSES IN THE CBD ARE FIGHTING TO RECOVER DURING WHAT SHOULD BE THE BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR. THAT’S WHERE WE FIND WDSU REPORTER SHAWANDA JONES, WITH DETAILS ON HOW ONE BUSINESS IS TRYING TO BOUNCE BACK. THE PARTIAL COLLAPSE OF A BUILDING ON O’KEEFE AVENUE HAS LEFT BUSINESSES STRUGGLING, AND SOME CUSTOMERS WONDERING, IS IT EVEN SAFE TO WALK DOWN THE STREET? MAYPOP, A POPULAR RESTAURANT JUST STEPS FROM THE COLLAPSED SITE, HAD TO CLOSE FOR TEN DAYS. THE BUSINESS, NOW COVERED BY SCAFFOLDING, MAKING IT HARD TO SPOT BECAUSE LITERALLY IF ANYTHING HAPPENS, OUR DINING ROOM IS DIRECTLY IN THE PATH AND IT’S ALL GLASS FRONT. MICHAEL GULOTTA IS THE OWNER OF MAYPOP ON O’KEEFE. ANGELICA ROBINSON SAYS SHE NORMALLY STROLLS THE AREA, BUT GIVEN THE LIMITED ACCESS, SHE’S HAD TO FIND A NEW ROUTE. BUT THAT CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE BECAUSE NOW I GOT TO EITHER TRY TO GO THAT WAY AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, OR JUST GO BACK THE WAY THAT WE CAME FROM. JUST LIKE DRIVERS WHO SEE THE ROAD CLOSURES BUT THEN DECIDE TO MAKE A U-TURN DUE TO NO PARKING ON THE CLOSED ROAD. GULOTTA SAYS MAYPOP WILL OPEN DECEMBER 26TH, BUT NOT HOW IT SHOULD. WE ARE COMPLETELY PROTECTED, ALTHOUGH WE ARE ALSO KIND OF HIDDEN. OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE STILL CAN’T COME DOWN THE STREET. SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY DON’T WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE, BUT I DON’T THINK I WOULD WANT TO WALK DOWN THERE. THE LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR HUMANITIES OWNS THE BUILDING AND HAS BEEN IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH GULOTTA AND HIS PARTNERS, SUPPORTING THEM EVERY STEP. HOWEVER, THEY’VE BEEN REALLY GREAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU REALLY MONETIZE THIS LOSS? FOR GULOTTA, THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A BOUNCE BACK FROM WHAT HE CALLS ONE OF THE WORST SUMMERS FOR BUSINESSES IN NEW ORLEANS. WE JUST NEED CUSTOMERS OR OTHERWISE. THE MATH DOESN’T WORK. FOR BUSINESSES LIKE MAYPOP. RECOVERY WILL DEPEND ON NEW AND LOYAL CUSTOMERS VISITING. DESPITE THE WOODEN PLANKS AND IRON BARS. REPORTING FR

Businesses struggle on O’keefe Ave in aftermath of partial collapse

Shut down during their busiest time of year and now hidden behind scaffolding, local businesses are finding it tough to bounce back.

The partial building collapse on O’Keefe Avenue has made the holiday season difficult for nearby businesses, including Maypop, a restaurant just steps from the site.Maypop had to close for 10 days while officials assessed the area for safety. The restaurant plans to reopen on Dec. 26, but owner Michael Gulotta says the challenges aren’t over.“Because literally if anything happens, our dining room is directly in the path, and it’s all glass front,” Gulotta said. “They’ve put up scaffolding for safety, but it leaves us kind of hidden. Obviously, people still can’t come down the street.”Scaffolding now blocks Maypop’s storefront, and road closures have discouraged pedestrians and drivers from entering the area. Angelica Robinson, who often walks in the neighborhood, said she has had to change her routine.“That caught me by surprise because now I got to either try to go that way and I don’t know what to expect, or I just go back the way we came from,” Robinson said.While the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, which owns the collapsed building, has supported Maypop, Gulotta says the loss of business is hard to recover from.“They’ve been really great,” Gulotta said. “But, you know, how do you really monetize this loss?”This holiday season was supposed to help the restaurant bounce back from what Gulotta called “one of the worst summers for businesses in New Orleans.” Now, he’s just hoping customers will return.“We just need customers, or otherwise the math doesn’t work,” he said.

NEW ORLEANS —

The partial building collapse on O’Keefe Avenue has made the holiday season difficult for nearby businesses, including Maypop, a restaurant just steps from the site.

Maypop had to close for 10 days while officials assessed the area for safety. The restaurant plans to reopen on Dec. 26, but owner Michael Gulotta says the challenges aren’t over.

“Because literally if anything happens, our dining room is directly in the path, and it’s all glass front,” Gulotta said. “They’ve put up scaffolding for safety, but it leaves us kind of hidden. Obviously, people still can’t come down the street.”

Scaffolding now blocks Maypop’s storefront, and road closures have discouraged pedestrians and drivers from entering the area. Angelica Robinson, who often walks in the neighborhood, said she has had to change her routine.

“That caught me by surprise because now I got to either try to go that way and I don’t know what to expect, or I just go back the way we came from,” Robinson said.

While the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, which owns the collapsed building, has supported Maypop, Gulotta says the loss of business is hard to recover from.

“They’ve been really great,” Gulotta said. “But, you know, how do you really monetize this loss?”

This holiday season was supposed to help the restaurant bounce back from what Gulotta called “one of the worst summers for businesses in New Orleans.” Now, he’s just hoping customers will return.

“We just need customers, or otherwise the math doesn’t work,” he said.