Buddie Lee Gray has owned a fragrance and gift shop in Lafayette’s Northgate Mall for nearly 40 years now. She still loves to work in her store, Home Sweet Home, interacting with longtime customers and fellow business owners in the city’s oldest shopping mall — and at 87 years old, she’s eager to play a role in Northgate’s next phase.
Gray says that she’s already seen an uptick in business since the mall was purchased by local developer Jacoby Landry on June 16. That news reminded a lot of people that the mall is still open, she said — although her store is one of the few still operating in the space that was once a commercial hub on the Northside.
“The new owners are already doing things. We’re first on the list to get these lights taken care of,” said Gray, gesturing to several broken bulbs failing to illuminate the gifts, home goods and scents lining Home Sweet Home’s shelves…