Downtown looking for daytime business boost

When is a pharmacy not just a pharmacy? When a lot of eyes and hopes are on it as a touchstone for future downtown development, both commercial and residential. On the heels of high-profile bar and restaurant openings like Blend, City Bar, Restaurant IPO, The Office and the upcoming Bar Blanc, Third Street is bustling with nightlife. What will it take for downtown’s daylife to catch up? This month, local pharmacists T.J. and Aimee Woodard are set to open Prescriptions to Geaux near the corner of Third and Florida streets, two doors down from the Our Lady of the Lake walk-in clinic. The pharmacy’s success could be a strong indicator of the future viability of residential and retail growth in the Central Business District. “I wasn’t sure about the idea for a location, but several of my former classmates work downtown and expressed interest in a pharmacy there,” says T.J. Woodard, a Bossier City native with an MBA from LSU. “The more I looked into it, I saw a real opportunity.” Read how downtown Baton Rouge is growing businesses in this month’s 225 by clicking here.