Entrepreneurs Leave Unfulfilled Jobs for Unique Venture

by Maniko Barthelemy
NewsHeels@gmail.com

From strip malls to swanky retail outlets, you have likely had a manicure or pedicure. Every year, with the precision of a brain surgeon, completely focused on finishing in a 30-minute window or less time frame, nail technicians at seemingly countless shops across the country, glue, cut, shape and file and style hands, using fake finger nails, cash-in on a nearly $8 billion industry. According to Nails Magazine, it’s no secret the pampering service that spread across the country in the ‘90s is nearly dominated by Asian business owners.

NOLA Nail Bar Owners Enter Crowded Industry

The statistics don’t intimidate two New Orleans women. Nalo Johnson and Tiffany Woods are opening the doors to NOLA Nail Bar, Saturday, Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. They are jumping in the fiercely competitive industry, determined to stand out and succeed. “People can expect a lot of good food, fun and a short tour of our nail salon,” said Green. Woods and Johnson refer to themselves as manicurist, not nail techs. “Onyxologist is the proper term for what we do because it specifically focuses on natural nail-grooming,” said Woods. Both are certified manicurists in Louisiana.

The uptown cozy business, at 8710 Oak St. distinguishes itself with a combination of quality customer service and a VIP atmosphere. How many nail salons offer guests Mimosas or a glass of wine, comfortable thick leather chairs, while massaging the client’s hands and feet? “I knew we could do it because we have the same work ethic and passion,” said Johnson.

photo courtesy of NOLA Nail Bar

There are no drills that resemble a thick metal pens, hard files, fake nails, glue or other commonly used products at other nail salons. “We’re not trying to do the assembly service that’s so common in this industry,” said Johnson. Basic, bizarre or bold designs come naturally to the unofficial nail gurus but they routinely surf the Internet, flip through trade magazines and articles to stay on target, as trends change quickly, in almost microwave fashion.

The vision to venture into the entrepreneurial world is the result of Woods and Johnson feeling professionally and creatively unfulfilled. “I was working as a cell phone sales rep and I hated moving around to different stores,” said Johnson. Woods thought her calling was in education but the uncertainty and constant bureaucracy in the field shredded her interest, after working a few years. “I had to sit down and think about what I really liked to do and I’ve been doing nails since I was in high school,” said Woods.

photo courtesy of NOLA Nail Bar

A chance meeting at a spa in Atlanta in 2006 quickly evolved into a friendship and a business partnership. “The first day we met we were both so excited because we were from New Orleans,” said Woods. “We hugged and that was it and in a strange twist, we realized we’d grown up two miles away from each other.”

They recognize and embrace the relief of finally operating in their passion and feel successful one client at a time. “It’s a blessing to have a career where you bring smiles to people’s faces,” said Woods.

For more information, you can reach them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nola-Nail-Bar/508056099252870 or call (855) 504-7334.

Famous Singer Gives Neighborhood Eyesore Overdue Extreme Makeover



by Maniko Barthelemy
NewsHeels@gmail.com

Like film production companies strategically plan the release of blockbuster films around holidays, an award-winning New Orleans trumpeter and singer hit grand opening gold when he re-opened the doors of a landmark. “I kept trying to figure out when to open and I picked MLK day because it’s one of the most important holidays in the world,” said Kermit Ruffins.

 

Kermit Ruffins is all smiles at the grand opening of his "Kermit's Treme' Mother-In-Law Lounge." Photo courtesy of Kim Welsh

Ruffins is one of the founding members of the Grammy award-winning Rebirth Brass Band and leads his highly popular jazz/swing band, Kermit Ruffins & The Barbecue Swingers. On Jan. 20, he officially opened “Kermit’s Treme’ Mother-in-Law Lounge,” his third New Orleans bar. A parade of brass bands played for hours, as hundreds of family, friends, and fans packed the cozy Treme neighborhood staple, waving and clapping their hands, smiling and capturing the moment on cell phones. “The place looks beautiful,” said Justin Trimm. “This shows Kermit has a love and respect for the history of this neighborhood,” said Trimm.  

Washington Post Photo

The building’s significance at 1500 N. Claiborne Avenue dates back to 1994. Ernie K-Doe, one of New Orleans’ most flamboyant rhythm and blues singers opened the club for musicians and the community. K-Doe’s career spiked with a bold 1961 song, “Mother-in-Law.” The mega-hit put K-Doe on an international stage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcFkUHvlf5A. While he enjoyed meteoric rise to fame, K-Doe’s awe and respect for local musicians inspired him to open the “Ernie K-Doe Mother-in-Law Lounge.”  “I remember the great stories my dad told me about this place,” said Trimm.

The lounge was an open stage for local musicians who often free-styled with each other and treated customers to unscheduled jam sessions. K-Doe, the self-appointed “emperor of the world” died in 2001. His widow, Antoinette, kept the doors open for several years. In 2009, she died, leaving the lounge in the hands of her daughter, Betty Fox. Financial challenges and the hovering pressure of living up to her mother’s reputation put a strain on Fox and stressed the overall operation of the lounge. The sound of New Orleans music often heard at the neighborhood hot spot went silent in 2010, when the lounge closed. “I used to pass here and see it was abandoned and I was lucky to be able to pay a lease and make it happen,” said Ruffins.

From 2011 to 2014, Ruffins cleared legal and logistical hurdles, remodeled the building and heavily promoted his plans. The reward and relief were symbolic of an overdue family reunion, complete with music, food and fun. The grand opening was so lively nearly 50 people couldn’t get inside to jam. In typical New Orleans fashion, the overflow crowd turned the sidewalk into an extended party. Well-wishers swayed, jumped and shouted to the hypnotic sounds flowing out of the lounge. Many applauded Ruffins’ commitment to giving an eyesore an extreme makeover.  “Everything Kermit touches is successful. He has the personality and the drive to make things work and it’s great to see he’s the guy who turned this building back into something that’s going to thrive,” said Mark Samuels, president of Basin St. Records.

Financially reinvesting in a neighborhood often overlooked and unappreciated is not foreign to Ruffins. He owns Bullets Lounge, which sits in the 7^th Ward of New Orleans and is just as popular as his other Treme restaurant and bar, Kermit Ruffins’ Speakeasy. Ruffins knows his awards, raspy Louis Armstrong-like voice and reputation as an advocate for musicians, pull people wherever appears but he’s  keenly aware of the reality of a fickle business, after the nostalgia wears off. “The grand opening is the easy part because everybody comes out, next week no one may come out but I’ll see what happens in a year,” said Ruffins.

What do you think about the re-opening of the Mother-in-Law Lounge? E-mail your response directly to Maniko Barthelemy at NewsHeels@gmail.com or comment directly on this page.

Actor Goes Off-Script, Reaches Tough Teens

New Episode Airs Tonight, 10 p.m. eastern on FX 

by Maniko Barthelemy

When seven million people tune-in every week to watch witches, revenge, and Greek mythology with a splash of painful American history in the midst, it’s a sign.  “American Horror Story: Coven has hypnotized a horror thirsty audience. Back to close its third season and on the heels of an announcement by FX that American Horror Story is returning for a fourth season later this year,  tonight’s premiere episode will surely take loyal viewers and newcomers on a suspenseful horror-filled ride. The show, is co-creator, Ryan Murphy’s dream and vision. It’s definitely not for the weak at heart or those of you with a weak stomach. Sex, lies, violence, Witchcraft, Voodoo, Greek mythology, love and hate set in New Orleans, all sizzle on-screen.

Photo courtesy of Ameer Baraka

New Orleans actor, Ameer Baraka, 35, is a striking character on the show, half man and half bull. “I auditioned four times for that role,” said Baraka. As Minotaur Baraka is voodoo and New Orleans legend, Marie Laveau’s lover (played by Angela Bassett). Kathy Bates is Delphine LaLaurie, an infamous socialite who committed unspeakable crimes against her slaves. “I’m in the company of people like Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett and that’s like taking an accelerated acting class because they are excellent at what they do,” said Baraka. 

Ameer Baraka in character as Minotaur in American Horror Story: Coven (Production still courtesy of Ameer Baraka)

Minotaur speaks very little in the show. He is chained, tortured and mocked periodically. LaLaurie uses him to bait and torment Laveau. It’s evil versus evil. Baraka enjoys the challenges, ratings rewards, lights, camera and action onset. Off script, he’s busy in a much more profound role. “I didn’t learn how to read until I was 19 and in prison,” said Baraka. “One of the inmates, his family used to send him books and he taught me algebra and how to read, so I started studying the dictionary using any free time I had to read books.”

Photo courtesy of Jeff Ray

Baraka spent four years in prison for selling drugs, the result of growing up in a family where he was misunderstood and marginalized. “I had a severe case of dyslexia and instead of trying to help me, my family would call me stupid and dumb,” said Baraka. Acting in school plays worked momentarily as a disguise. “I couldn’t read but I knew how to act like a clown, so I played that every chance I got,” said Baraka. Reality was much harder to ignore. At 13, he became a drug dealer.  “I couldn’t compete at school and I wasn’t being encouraged at home,” said Baraka.

Guilt and regret motivate Baraka to help teens most people try to avoid. “A lot of kids in trouble in New Orleans can’t read but I want them to know they can do something about it” said Baraka. He visits a New Orleans youth detention center at least twice a week, speaks at alternative schools, and follows-up with kids released from detention centers. “The streets lied to me and the same lies are being pumped into the minds of talented young people who are being snuffed out of their true potential,” said Baraka.

Taking his potential to the next level with his own story, is Baraka’s additional mission to get his message across on an international level. In a’N.O.L.A. Life,” a drama about his life, stars a few of the young people he’s met over the years, who once felt hopeless. “God gave me this purpose to save lives. It’s a great feeling when kids get out of the youth study center and tell me they’re staying in school. That feeling is better than any award I could ever get,” said Baraka.

Ameer Baraka seen here with Kathy Bates. Both star in American Horror Story: Coven.  (Photo courtesy of Ameer Baraka)

Baraka hopes his character gets more time onscreen as the story of American Horror Story: Coven evolves. After all, the turmoil of being torn in life-changing directions reflects the life of pain and progress Baraka leads, one no one can direct or yell cut.

Here’s  a look Fox released earlier this year, showing what it takes for Baraka to transform into his popular character, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFAhwCc6_1w. 

Here’s a look at the trailer for N.O.L.A. Life, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp96InGbanE.

What do you think about Baraka and his vision off-set?

E-mail Maniko Barthelemy directly at NewsHeels@gmail.com or leave a comment on this page. 

From Illiterate to Success, New Orleans Actor Beats Odds One Role at a Time

He's a member of the cast on one of the hottest FX television series this season. In its third season, "American Horror Story: Coven," which comes back for its mid-season premiere, Wednesday, Jan. 15, gives its nearly 4 million loyal viewers a spicy, gritty and gory taste of New Orleans history. It's full of supernatural events centered on New Orleans' mystique and rumors about an abusive slave owner. The  compelling acting, directing and writing that screams at you from scene to scene brings you into a world the average person really couldn't imagine. 

Wednesday, NewsHeels will introduce you to a New Orleans actor who went from being illiterate as a child to studying the dictionary and landing one of the most unforgettable roles on the FX hit. "I know what it's like to grow up and be called dumb and stupid by people in your family because they don't understand you're dyslexic and don't know how to help you."

Entrepreneur's Sweet Tooth Mixes Business, Pleasure, Profits

by Maniko Barthelemy
Newsheels@gmail.com

When a sweet iconic staple like Hostess Brands, with an 82-year track record eats the bitter plate of bankruptcy, why would anyone open a pastry business, after the company’s fall? For a New Orleans woman the answer was easy. “You just have to start,” said Imani Ruffins.



Photo courtesy of Imani Ruffins for Ruffins' Faith Pastries, LLC

Ruffins owns Ruffins Faith Pastries LLC, an online dessert catering company she launched in February, using her top secret personal recipes. No boxed cakes are allowed in her kitchen. “I love cupcakes and at $3 each buying them became real expensive, so I started baking my own,” said Ruffins. Consistent orders for specialty cakes and muffins keep her phone ringing, creatively decorated apples also popular. “I was baking for my family, trying different things and then a friend of a friend asked me to bake and it kind of went around like word of mouth and my business grew fast,” said Ruffins.

Photo courtesy of Imani Ruffins for Ruffins' Faith Pastries, LLC

Cupcakes start at $30 for an order of 24. Candy-covered apples start at $30 for an order of 10. She’s undoubtedly in a highly competitive industry but worth may be worth the risk.  Just like busy consumers stretched for time, buy fresh, flavor-filled, fully cooked meats or meals from grocery stores, people want and will pay for homemade baked treats they don’t have time to make. Experts project sweet success for the baking and pastry business, predicting $310 billion boom by 2015.

Photo courtesy of Imani Ruffins for Ruffins' Faith Pastries, LLC

Part of the reality surprises Ruffins, who has a full-time job in criminal justice and is finishing her bachelor’s degree. “I had so much unexpected business I had to shift to weekends only,” said Ruffins. The other benefit of the positive numbers, may suppress noise from her critics.  “I was told, ‘I’ll never make it without formal training or school and people won’t want to spend money because pastries aren’t a high demand and I’m going to lose money before I make money’ ” said Ruffins.

Moving into 2014, Ruffins plans to take another chance, expand her brand, and send a message to her children. “I’m working with my brothers on a plan to start a food truck business in New Orleans and we really want to work together and get our children involved in the business,” said Ruffins.

For more information, log on to www.FaithPastries.BigCartel.com or e-mail Imani Ruffins at Faith_Pastries@yahoo.com. 

Leave a comment about this article and suggest other business owners you know have a great story to NewsHeels@gmail.com.

Fashion Designers Send Powerful Message to Community

by Maniko Barthelemy

Bold, beautiful, and brave women in trendy fashions sashayed through the courtyard at Hotel Storyville in New Orleans, highlighting the importance of a non-profit organization committed to helping women find jobs.  “I’m all for a Dress for Success event because I support anything that helps women feel beautiful and encourages them to feel comfortable and confident,” said Daniela Zapata, owner of Full Blossom Chic, http://www.fullblossomchic.com.

www.dressforsuccess.org/neworleans

Hotel Storyville and “The Little Black Dress” organization sponsored a “Garden Party Fashion Show” Nov. 24. to raise awareness and reemphasize the importance of Dress for Success. Dress for Success is an international non-profit organization that provides career counseling and professional attire to help women entering or re-entering the workforce.

In Louisiana, where nearly 150,000 people are reportedly unemployed, having help from organizations like Dress for Success is exactly why people like Tileda Dunn, didn’t think twice about volunteering as a model. “I just went on an interview a few weeks ago and got the job,” said Dunn.

http://www.laworks.net/

Dunn returned to the work force after spending five years as a stay-at-home mother. She was one of a dozen models showcasing unique and fabulous fashions by flagship retailers, independent designers, and boutiques reflective of the season, but Dunn was also a stunning symbol of victory over adversity. “I don’t think I would have gotten the job without the help of Dress for Success because I didn’t have the proper clothes and couldn’t even borrow clothes from my friends because none of them are my size so I wouldn’t have been confident when I went on that interview,” said Dunn.

Through partnerships with other non-profits, candidates are referred to Dress for Success. “Most of our clients come to us with issues and are ready to go back to work and become independent,” said Midge Donald, executive director of the New Orleans chapter of “Dress for Success.”

In addition to raising awareness and highlighting success stories, organizers wanted to encourage more people to volunteer. Drew Douglas, a retired media professional was ready to sign up. “This was inspiring, positive and motivating,” said Douglas. He plans to volunteer as a resume writing consultant clients.

Since 1998, with the help of people like Douglas, hundreds of women like Dunn have walked through the doors of Dress for Success for help. Often, they leave with hope and a renewed sense of pride.

Nearly 50  people, a combination of residents and small business owners, attended the party with a purpose at Hotel Storyvile. For information on how to volunteer or donate your gently used suits to Dress for Success, you can attend the Dec. 5 party at Chico's, 5605 Magazine St., from noon until 5 p.m., call (504) 891-4337, or log on to http://dressforsuccess.org/affiliate.aspx?sisid=49&pageid=1.

To find your local Dress for Success chapter, visit www.dressforsuccess.org/.

What do you think about organizations like Dress for Success? We invite you to comment at NewsHeels@gmail.com. You can remain anonymous.

New Television Network Selects "I Thought It Was Forever"

 

“All sorts of things go through your mind and you start thinking about your husband doing things with men and then coming home and touching you,” says Joy, a woman featured in “I Thought It Was Forever.”

 Joy and six other people give a real life, candid and bold reality to an issue that is often trivialized or broad-brushed in traditional news stories or Hollywood films. What would someone really do, if they found out their spouse was secretly gay? “I Thought It Was Forever” answers that question and many more through the hearts, heartache and healing of everyone in the film.

“I told her three years into the marriage, I was gay and I needed to do something with those feelings,” says Marc. His marriage to his high school sweetheart unraveled, after 16 years and four children.

“I Thought It Was Forever” airs on the Soul of the South Television Network in select cities at 10:30 p.m., CT, 11:30 p.m., ET, Saturday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Nov. 17. The network, based in Arkansas, launched in May and airs primarily in the South with a focus on diverse programming reflective of universal lifestyles.

Here is a list of Soul of the South Television Channels from New York to Louisiana, where you can see "I Thought It Was Forever;"

Alexandria, LA	KBCA-DT 41.3
Baton Rouge, LA	WLFT-DT 30.4
Chicago, IL	WOCK-LD – 13.5 Comcast – 390
Dallas, TX	KODF-LD – 26.2 KHPK-LD – 28.4 KATA-CD – 50.1 Charter – 93
Lafayette, LA	KXKW-LP – 32.1 KLWB-DT – 50.3
Little Rock, AR	KMYA-DT – 49.2 KKYK-CD – 30.1
New York, NY	WKOB-LD – 42.1
Philadelphia, PA	WTVE-DT – 51.2 Comcast – 288
Tallahassee-Thomasville, FL	WFXU-DT – 48.1
Dayton, OH	WRCX-LP – 40.1 Time Warner – 22

Please send the network a message regarding the film.

In October, “I Thought It Was Forever,” was nominated for best documentary at the Reel Independent Film Extravaganza in Washington, D.C.  Additionally, the film has been submitted to numerous film festivals for the 2014 festival cycle.

To find out more about “I Thought It Was Forever,” visit https://vimeo.com/southernbelletv to view the trailer. You can see production stills and meet the crew and cast at www.Facebook.com/IThoughtItWasForever.

“I Thought It Was Forever” is a Southern Belle Productions film. The company prides itself on creative content about ordinary people facing extraordinary odds.