Easy come, easy go. That’s pretty much the way of things at the Neutral Ground Coffee House.
The Neutral Ground’s menu touts everything from tea to coffee, bagels to a “bowl o’ goldfish.” There are benches and picnic tables, making ample room for board games, and an extremely well read bookshelf its biography of Clark Gable, 18th century philosophy books and a Scrabble player’s dictionary. In the front, under an “On Air” sign, microphones and amps sit waiting and ready for the ever-arriving performers.
The coffee house’s name wasn’t always the Neutral Ground, it wasn’t always at 5110 Daneel St. and David Rigamer was not always the co-owner, but now he is, and he is set on preserving this unique New Orleans gem.
Rigamer, a 2010 Loyola graduate, became co-owner in July along with fellow Loyola graduate, Mike Calabrese Acoording to Rigamer, it’s no easy job. “I do everything from booking the bands to grocery shopping to mopping the floors,” Rigamer said. “There’s a lot of pride in ownership, but I’m always working on keeping the doors open.”
Rigamer became part of the Neutral Ground family in high school. The first time he went was to see his dad play a show, and then he kept going back.
“I started hanging out there more and more,” Rigamer said, “and one day the then co-owner was behind the bar and said, ‘Hey, I need you, get back here,’ and I’ve been working there ever since.”
Now, he truly considers the Neutral Ground home, and that is why Rigamer took over ownership. With the business sometimes comes paperwork, including figuring out the performance rights legalities and reading up on state and federal requirements. Rigamer knows why he does it; the tradition of music, art and community that the coffee house has represented for years.
“Some of the regulars have been coming for 30 years. It’s like a family,” Rigamer said. “After Katrina, I didn’t feel like I was home until the Neutral Ground had opened, and until I saw all the faces I had been seeing for so many years.”
One of those faces belonged to David Caroussini. “I’m a fixture here,” Caroussini said. “I’m like a picture frame.”
Sitting next to him at the bar was Mark Holian. Both are loyal Neutral Ground community members, and Holian has been going since the early‘70s, when it was called the Penny Post and located on Oak Street.
Back when the Neutral Ground was a co-operational business, Holian ran it on Wednesdays. “You felt like you were a part of something,” Holian said. “The music and people were always there. It was great.”
Now Rigamer’s goal is to continue that legacy of music and community for the next generation. Whether that means making small changes here and there or consulting old college professors on business ideas, he is quickly learning what it takes to run a small business.
“Everything I’ve done here has helped me develop into who I am as an individual. Working behind the counter I’ve talked to a lot of people who have a lot of opinions and viewpoints. I’ve heard all types of theories of how the world works and it’s been very influential.”
Erin Clements can be reached at [email protected]
Loyola senior Kerry Hayes and Cristina Perez chat before perfoming at the Neutral Ground coffee shop on Saturday. (SANTIAGO CIACIDO/Contributing Photographer)
