Capitol Grocery has reopened with plans for a Spanish Town event

While a recent closure was temporary and related to a family emergency, the new proprietor of Capitol Grocery says he is working through the store’s larger issues and expects to host an event for Spanish Town Mardi Gras.

“Me and my wife are floating this store until things get better,” Devon Harris says. “I promised the people in the neighborhood a store.”

He blames Kara Robinett, who was brought in as a consultant for the store, for failing to secure needed permits. While she has said publicly she wasn’t paid for the work she did, he says she didn’t live up to her end of the bargain. Both sides agree she will not be involved with the store moving forward.

The store was open Monday, though there wasn’t much inventory. Harris plans to be open consistently Monday through Saturday.

Harris says the store had financial issues that predated when he, who had been the store’s chef, stepped up to run the store late last year. He referenced unpaid tabs Robinett described to Daily Report.

“That was the previous people,” he says. “I wiped all those tabs clear when I got here, because I couldn’t individually point out everybody who had a tab.”

Harris says he is partnering with another company to hold a permitted special event on Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade day.

Capitol Grocery first opened in 1914.

This story originally appeared in a Feb. 6 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.