Our story begins back in 1974 when Greta rented a house
on Maple
St. and opened a coffeehouse called the Penny Post.
Penny Post
patrons enjoyed a homey atmosphere for meeting friends,
playing
games and listening to live entertainment. Then, in
1977, there
was a kitchen fire. It did quite a bit of damage and
Greta decided
not to reopen. Instead, she offered the business to a
group of
dedicated regulars and suggested they run it as a co-op.
Their
quest for a new location ended at 5110 Danneel Street,
the former
home of a seedy uptown neighborhood bar called the Red
Lion. Taking
Greta's advice, the Penny Post was set up as a co-op,
owned and
operated by its membership. Anyone could, for a small
yearly fee,
become a member. Members were asked (but not required)
to volunteer
for the various duties involved in running the
coffeehouse. Being
a member made you part of the family. Members received
monthly
newsletters in the mail and discounted prices on coffee
and pastries,
along with inclusion in the occasional member events,
such as
picnics and camping trips. The Penny Post grew and
flourished.
Then, in the early 90's they started having financial
problems,
and had to close down. Deprived of their "third place",
a few determined members decided to try again, and in
1992 the
Neutral Ground was born.
The Neutral Ground was the Penny Post incognito. Same
rose, different name. It looked like
the Penny Post, it sounded like The Penny Post, and even
felt
like the Penny Post. And, like the Post, the Neutral
Ground was a great success and thrived
for many years. Alas, in the end, the Neutral Ground
suffered
its own financial losses and closed its doors. Core
members kept in
touch via the internet, searching for a way to reinvent
the Neutral
Ground. Rumors began to circulate... someone's buying
the Neutral
Ground. Hope battled with the fear that the new owner
might turn
it into something horrible, or worse, boring.
Their fears were for naught. The buyer was none other
than long
time Neutral Ground family member, Philip Melancon. Phil
reopened
the coffeehouse and kept the Neutral Ground spirit
alive. Katrina
did her damage, but The Neutral Ground has bounced back,
strong
as ever. As long as there's a New Orleans, there'll be a
Neutral
Ground.
