New Orleans is as much about its people as its spaces, places where communities can come together to share in laughter, joy, and very often coffee. For Jessica Knox, Owner and Founder of Backatown Coffee Parlour, creating a space that spoke to everything the city was and is was of paramount importance. By locating themselves right at the mouth of historic Storyville, Backatown is ready to welcome everyone, local and tourist alike, to share in the unique pleasures of food and family.
“When creating Backatown, it was important that the coffee parlour have a sense of cultural authenticity,” says Jessica. “Community is a fellowship of people from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and practices that come together around music, food, and respect for each other. It was important that we create this type of gathering space for everyone.”
That honest reflection of the city around it was paramount for the very first designs, and even the name of the parlor. Backatown has been used as a descriptor of an area that wasn’t downtown or uptown, but was in the back of all of those towns; a place where music, dancing, and community happened. Through months of diligent design, Jessica worked to find the perfect style for the space; working with YaYa students to design art and to paint a mural that was reminiscent of a Storyville picture where people were dancing and listening to good music. These flourishes, along with unique menu options that offer unique cultural touchstones like sweet potato pie, sweet tea, BBQ crawfish & grits, make Backatown a home away from home, a haven in the heart of New Orleans.
301 Basin Street, Suite 1 | New Orleans, LA 70112 | backatownnola.com
