As the New Year unfolds, Bossier Parish is witnessing a surge in its entrepreneurial spirit! The local business landscape is hopping with the emergence of new ventures, bringing fresh opportunities and vitality to the community. Business owners are seizing the opportunity to contribute to the economic growth of Bossier Parish and we are excited to share what we know about a few of these new, emerging businesses!

ALDI grocery store is heading to Bossier City! This private-label grocery trailblazer provides customers with the highest quality groceries at permanently low prices. Set to open in the former Bed, Bath & Beyond building, the company has not yet set an expected open date but we are looking forward to this new chain of grocers joining the Bossier community! 

We’ve got the scoop! Howdy’s Homemade Ice Cream by Holy Angels is coming to Bossier City with an anticipated soft opening date on Tuesday, January 23^rd. Howdy’s Ice Cream is all about two things: amazing ice cream served by amazing people. This ice cream brand is on a relentless pursuit to create more jobs for people with intellectual and developmental differences using the power of smiles and amazingly delicious ice cream. Howdy’s currently has a location at the David Toms’ Foundation AngelWorks Gift Shop but this Bossier City location will be the first freestanding location in the area. Expect to see 16 flavors, including a newly created King Cake flavor, as well as other Holy Angel favorites including lasagna, cookies, biscottis and artwork. Located at 2840 Douglas Drive, Howdy’s will be open Tuesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and on Sundays from 12-5 p.m.

Mon Ami is a local, neighborhood pharmacy located in the newly constructed shopping center off Kingston Road in Benton. They opened their doors in December 2023 and in addition to serving the Bossier Parish community as a health and wellness destination, Mon Ami also offers gift shop items. Checkout their home décor and gift items while you wait for your prescription to be filled by their in-house pharmacist known as ‘Jude The Dude’. Owner and Pharmacist Jude Olivier and his team have a combined total of over 40 years of retail pharmacy experience and they are ready and excited to serve the Bossier community! Mon Ami is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

SmallCakes Benton is offering up gourmet cupcakes baked fresh daily with rotating specialty flavors. In addition to cupcakes, this Benton location also serves delicious, homemade ice cream and specialty seasonal treats. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., checkout the sweetest addition to the Bossier Parish business community at 601 Kingston Rd, Ste 400, located in Benton’s newest shopping center.

Smith Family Farms of Louisiana is opening a second market location in Bossier Parish! Located in the new shopping center off Kingston Road in Benton, Smith Farms will offer everyone’s favorite Louisiana raised lamb and beef products as well as other local fare. Here is what Co-owner Laura Smith had to say about the Smith Family Farms’ second location: “We love our SoBo neighbors! And with so many people living in NoBo, it seemed natural for us to offer local meats, local coffee, local salsas and olive oils and jellies to the Benton area as well! And we are delighted to enjoy such great business neighbors as Mon Ami and Smallcakes,”

Sweet Caroline’s  Dueling Piano Bar – Sweet Caroline’s opened in December 2023 and is the new hot spot in Bossier City! Located at the Louisiana Boardwalk Outlets, the dueling pianos is an “electric entertainment experience unmatched by anyone in the Ark-La-Tex.” Sweet Caroline’s has a very active Facebook page where they announce weekly duelers as well as nightly entertainment events like karaoke night, ladies night, music bingo night, etc. In addition to offering traditional drink options, each weekend the piano bar highlights and hosts a local food truck. The dueling piano bar is open Tuesday through Saturday 7 p.m. – 2 a.m. Follow Sweet Caroline’s Dueling Piano Bar on Facebook to make a reservation and to stay up-to-date on all of their exciting offerings!

Another new eatery to the Bossier scene is Steezy’s. Located at the Louisiana Boardwalk Riverfront and set to open in February 2024, this restaurant will provide a real NOLA experience with south Louisiana inspired cuisine. In addition to “good food and sweet eating”, this new eatery will also offer drinks and daiquiris on its menu. Co-Owner Chelsea Walker said from a recent KSLA interview, “We want to bring what we have to offer here, you know, a piece of home here. I’ve lived here ever since [Hurricane] Katrina hit so I’m very familiar with the area and I love living here and I love Bossier and I just want to bring a piece of my home here.”

There you have it, Bossier! Lots of new business in Bossier to frequent and support with lots more set to open in the coming months. Stay tuned!