Anne Ogea & Kelli Bush

 Owners:

Lions Gate Centre

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

The Lions Gate Centre is a collection of shops featuring gifts & collectibles, baby clothing, purses & bags, bath & body products -- and much more. Open Monday through Saturday from 10-6, the business provides a venue for others to display and sell their creations. "We rent space (even as small as a table) for shoes, jewelry, picture frames, LSU items, books, etc."  Besides the rental spaces, co-owners Kelli Bush and Anne Ogea have added a separate women's clothing store called Brooklynn's Boutique.  Another separate business, Cher Bebe (children/baby clothing), is independently owned.

Not wanting to work full time while her daughters were younger, Anne Ogea created a web site (thebaglady.net) for her purses and luggage in 2004 and sold her products at trunk shows, conferences, and holiday events. She traveled across the Southern marketplace, but she really wanted a permanent place to display and sell her merchandise.  Lions Gate was perfect for her, but she never imagined she'd end up owning the business. When the opportunity to purchase it arose, Anne called her best friend, Kelli Bush, to go in with her.

"We took a chance starting a business in a bad economy," Bush says. Making a profit in tough times is a challenge, but owning the space and renting to others helps them cut costs and lowers their own inventory investment. Financing is always difficult for small businesses.  They advise other entrepreneurs not to be discouraged by the first rejection and to look at small banks for assistance since they are often more willing to help people make their dreams come true. They also recommend doing your homework before setting up a new business.

"Location is important. Check to see if the neighborhood is right for the type of shop. Notice how many similar stores there are. On Lobdell, we get a lot of traffic by our location every day."  Town Center and another small older shopping center are close by providing more opportunities for people to be in the area to notice the shop."

The Lions Gate philosophy is to bring in small business people who have no permanent location and rent them space.  They've developed merchant partnerships with artisans and vendors locally and statewide, with as many as twenty small businesses operating at their site.  "We want to support Louisiana talent, but will go outside the state for unique, one-of-a-kind items." Ogea found some vendors through her work as a coordinator of the Mistletoe Market, a Christmas showcase for handmade gift items.

Both women cite Michael E. Gerber's E-Myth books as their favorite business reading. Bush, who says she gets lost in books, enjoyed the Harry Potter series, while Ogea is a fan of Christian fiction and mysteries.

Graduates of LSU, Ogea and Bush are active in the community. Bush is the president of the Children's Council at 1^st Methodist while Ogea is active at the Chapel on the Campus and involved with outreach to athletes along with her husband, a former pro baseball player. They have both served on the host committee for Baton Rouge Uncorked, a seasonal wine tasting event benefiting local charities. Bush thinks the mayor's vision for the city is good. Ogea wants Baton Rouge to become more cosmopolitan. Both support art in the community and want more things for families to do.

Every 3^rd Thursday of the month is Ladies Night Out at Lions Gate,  Brooklynns Boutique, and Boutique Cher' Bebe .  Throughout the store, merchandise is 20% off. Wine and finger foods are served.