Noteworthy
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N E W S , T I M E LY T I D B I T S , A N D O T H E R
Tout Ensemble
LO O K C LO S E R
CURIOSITIES
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Francisco, came across the property in September 2021, as part AFTER TWO YEARS ON THE MARKET, MAISON CHENAL FINDS THE PERFECT BUYERS of their search to expand their Maison Chenal, image courtesy of Peter Patout. horizons eastward. In addition to their passion for American history, Nori said that they were particularly interested in Southern culture. When Sam came across the listing for Maison Chenal prepared by local historic properties agent Peter Patout, with its extensive booklets of information detailing the estate’s history and corresponding collections, the infatuation was immediate. “He wanted to buy this huge monitor to look through all of the booklets together,” laughed Nori. “Every day, I’d n an interview writer Ruth Laney preserved in gardens, historic buildings, pass him and he’d be looking at it. That’s conducted in 2019, Pat Holden de- and over 1,400 items of antique furniture where it started, and things kind of snowballed from there.” scribed her and her husband Jack’s and decorative arts. On March 21, 2022, the $2.5 million work as antiquarians: “It’s not that In 2019, after over thirty years of callsale was made official, and the future of we want to go back to the past, but that ing the remarkable property home, the Maison Chenal, tout ensemble, secured. we need the physical things, the objects, Holdens, in their eighties, placed the “We really want to be stewards of this to remind us that we’re part of a continu- entire estate on the market—hoping land, of this property,” said Nori. “And um. Everything [our predecessors] did af- to usher their corner of the past into a be purposeful in doing what the Holdens fects us, just as what we do will affect the new era, via the perfect buyer: someone who would keep the entire collection dream of doing, which is to keep everyfuture.” and properties together as one, “tout en- thing together.” The couple’s life’s work is concentrat- semble”. She shared that plans are already uned in a remarkable seventy-five-acre esAlmost three years later, they found derway to either form a new nonprofit tate in Jarreau, Louisiana called Maison Sam and Nori Lee. or partner with an existing one, to preChenal—a carefully-curated world of The Lees, who own an electrical con- serve the property as it is and to create a colonial Creole Louisiana painstakingly tracting and agricultural business in San research center of the space for students
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Local Supply
and preservationists interested in Louisiana colonial history and ways of life. For now, though, she and Sam are focusing on learning as much as they can from Jack and Pat Holden. “Just today,” she said, “we were walking around the beautiful gardens, and Jack was telling me about some of the plants and animals on the property. It’s wonderful to learn from him. They’re pretty much treasures. I mean, along with the purchase of this— this is a treasure—but to have a relationship with the Holdens and access to all that knowledge, I mean it is just wonderful.” Following the sale, Pat Holden shared that finally letting go of Maison Chenal has been bittersweet. “To have to part with it is painful, because it was the passion of our lives for the last fifty years,” she said. “But we’re absolutely delighted that it’s in the hands of the Lees now. They’re delightful people and have a great vision. It’s been a challenging and rewarding past, connected now to a promising and bright future. You can’t want any more than that.” Read more on the story of Maison Chenal at Realtor Peter Patout’s blog, where he has documented the property’s history and journey to its recent purchase, at peterpatout.com/maisonchenal. —Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
MEREDITH WAGUESPACK AND SARAH GUIDRY’S NEWEST VENTURE SUPPORTS ALL THINGS LOCALLY-MADE
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estled beside its sister-store Sweet Baton Rouge in the Electric Depot compound on Government Street, Local Supply wraps you up the moment you walk through the door, the handmade stationery, canvases, books, postcards, and accessories all twinkling under the lights. Every display is labeled with a card crediting its products’ local maker, with an icon of Louisiana’s boot identifying it as one of ours. Like Meredith Waguespack and Sarah Guidry’s Sweet Baton Rouge t-shirt showroom, Local Supply celebrates all things Louisiana. The new retail space stemmed from the business partners’ Local Pop Up shop, which they have held annually at Perkins Rowe since 2017— bringing local artists and creators together into a single space. 8
“Fast forward to last year. That’s whenever we were like, alright, we don’t have enough space to do our holiday pop-ups here,” said Guidry. “And then, we looked through that little window…and were like ‘Okay, this space is open,’ which really got my wheels turning about the possibilities.” Waguespack noted the satisfaction of watching the businesses she’s partnered with through Local Pop Up continue to grow and succeed. “To me, that adds a lot of value when you can see how they started small, and they’re slowly building their brands up and creating the following of people that want to come in and get that particular product from that person,” she said. Since opening in January, Local Supply now features over fifty local artists, who will be rotated quarterly.
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Some artists have also been featured in spotlight their businesses inside Local Waguespack and Guidry’s Lagniappe Supply.” Local Supply is open Tuesday Box, another venture that supports local makers and artisans via a monthly sub- through Saturday, 10 am–6 pm, and scription box service (learn more about it Waguespack and Guidry, with their inin our “Go Local” special advertising sec- fectious smiles and passion for all things tion on page 46). “Everything that we try local, can be found walking between to do is trying to make a positive impact,” Local Supply and Sweet Baton Rouge. —Laci Felker sweetbatonrouge.com. Guidry said. Waguespack agreed: “And building the friendships, just through working with so many individuals and just being able to create that community with them.” The entrepreneurs’ plans for Local Supply and Sweet Baton Rouge include “continuing to work in our relationships with all of our local members and makers—[and continuing] to Meredith Waguespack and Sarah Guidry at Local Supply. Photo by Kimberly Meadowlark, courtesy of Local Supply.
