Deciding to partner with another business on its latest culinary venture was a no-brainer for Michael Babin, owner/founder of Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which just debuted Junebug in New Orleans.
After all, the 10,000-square-foot building in the city’s Warehouse District—only the third New Orleans concept for the Alexandria, Virginia-based group—was too enormous for just a restaurant. Especially since dinner and bar service doesn’t begin until 4 p.m. (Soon, Junebug will debut Saturday and Sunday brunch.) The space also wouldn’t generate income during the daytime.
That is, until local florist Tey Stiteler’s flower boutique, The Secret Spot, opened in the restaurant’s entryway. It’s an 800-square-foot retail space. Operating during the daytime as a floral vendor brings activity to the restaurant during the day. Then, at night, after Stiteler’s closed up her shop, the space evolves into an additional event venue, joining the restaurant’s other event spaces.
The journey to how the restaurant and flower shop started working together ties back to Babin’s philosophy with Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which is that first they find the building, then they develop the concept. This way, the two have synergy.
“We found the building, we liked it, it was interesting and it was big,” says Babin, about the former Jazz City Studio. “We went through a few different iterations and we knew what side of the space the bar and restaurant would reside on.”
Next, they considered what type of business would do well in the adjacent space. “We thought, ‘How about a flower shop? This would make a lot of sense,’” says Babin. “Flower shops are beautiful. They create a façade, a front entrance that’s very welcoming and pushes out into the street visually—and it’s engaging.” He adds that even while the restaurant’s closed, it captures people attention, perhaps inspiring a dinner reservation later. Through the chef, they landed on Stiteler, who is a friend.
But it wasn’t just an aesthetic, eye-catching decision to partner with The Secret Spot. Private event rentals for weddings and other occasions likely need flowers. Now that they’re sold on-site, this creates a one-stop shop for party planners. Groups can rent the 1,800-square-foot dining room, a 3,500-square-foot event space or the 2,000-square-foot courtyard.
“This could be a nice synergistic relationship,” says Babin, thinking back to when they first mulled over whether to partner with The Secret Spot. “People need flowers. If you hire Tey to do your flowers, she would style your entryway and then do all the flowers throughout.”
That said, the two spaces are not distinctly separate: Instead, they are very cohesive. “All of the concepts with Junebug are referencing the garden,” says Babin. “This idea of the garden was always top of mind when we thought about the concept.” This includes floral arrangements on the tables. The building’s former chapter as a recording studio is also reflected in the cocktail menu, where house cocktails are split into A Side (a “full-strength sipper”) and B Side (a “refreshing drinker”) menus, and feature seasonal fruits and herbs, tying back to the flower shop. Botanical wallpaper is another play on the garden theme.
The old saying that “two heads are better than one” couldn’t be truer than with this partnership. Not only does Stiteler’s flower shop add colorful activity during the day and help dress up Junebug’s events, she connected Babin with a contractor to revamp the 2,000-square-foot courtyard, called The GreenHouse, in order to host events. Soon, they’ll launch pop-up retail markets there, bringing together local makers and artists. It’s a concept they’ve already honed in Washington D.C., through their three Shop Made in DC stores. One of those is in The Roost, a food hall operated by Neighborhood Restaurant Group. “It’s a real win-win for everyone involved,” says Babin.
“Tey has already been invaluable in terms of helping us understand,” says Babin. “She’s got a background in events and tourism in the city. She’s helping us understand who we need to know and talk to.”
The two help market and promote each other through email lists and their social-media accounts. “We’re constantly complementing, referring, and announcing things about one another,” says Babin. “You see it most strongly when booking an event. We are her marketing team for her flowers. This is the most tenant-friendly relationship I can imagine. It is so beneficial to us as well. It truly is a partnership. There’s almost no way one of us can do well without the other one of us doing well.”
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