Expansion: Martin’s Wine Cellar has opened a new store in Studio Park on Lobdell near Jefferson Highway. It is the second Baton Rouge location and the fifth store for the family-owned, New Orleans-based retailer. Like Martin’s other local store on Perkins Road, the Lobdell location will be around 3,500 square feet and will sell wine, spirits and beer. General manager Jim Wallace says despite growth in the market of high-end and specialty grocery stores that sell wine and beer, there is plenty of local demand for what Martin’s offers, as the local food culture has become more sophisticated. Martin’s briefly had two locations in Baton Rouge in the late 2000s but closed its original location on Old Hammond Highway in 2009, shortly after opening the Perkins Road store.
Closed: The Denham Springs location of BRQ, located in the Bass Pro development, announced on Facebook Monday that it’s closing, Livingston Parish News reports The Denham Springs location of BRQ opened last September. The other BRQ restaurant on Jefferson Highway remains open. Read the full story.
Lt. Gov.: One of the candidates who registered to run for Louisiana lieutenant governor has withdrawn from the race. Rao Uppu, a Democrat and Southern University professor, qualified for the Oct. 12 ballot on Thursday when he realized Republican incumbent Billy Nungesser didn’t have a challenger in the election. Uppu said at the time he couldn’t imagine someone winning a statewide office unopposed, so he signed up. But later that same day, Willie Jones, a New Orleans Democrat, also joined the lieutenant governor’s race.
