In 2008, Mr. Pierce, in partnership with Troy Henry, his childhood friend and a New Orleans businessman, announced that they would build 300 solar-paneled, geothermal, low-cost homes in Pontchartrain Park for those who had lost everything.
The effort, as “Treme” fans might expect, has moved forward haltingly, slowed by city politics and bureaucratic delays. To date, only 10 homes have been built, and the goal has been slashed to 150.
Friends, he says, encouraged him to get back to his “real” life. But memories of those Friday nights at Schwegmann’s made him realize that reviving the neighborhood would require more than new homes. How could he ask people to move back if there was nowhere to shop? “You start to realize all the parts of infrastructure that are needed,” he said.
Mr. Pierce’s first pitch for a grocery store was to his partner, Mr. Henry. “My first response was, ‘We’re way too busy,’ ” Mr. Henry recalled. “But if you know anything about Wendell, you know he doesn’t take ‘no’ very well.”