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Mockingbird Cafe much more than coffee house: Bay St. Louis residents view it as a symbol of their recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Article Excerpt
What is to be done when your home, business and whole town have been destroyed by a monstrous hurricane? Plus, there is a baby on the way. Some people head for the hills. Others, such as Alicein and Martin Chambers of Bay St. Louis, open a coffee shop.

The Mockingbird Care opened in August 2006 amid the rubble and destruction of Old Town. It quickly became much more than a coffee and sandwich shop as it evolved into an important gathering place for a hurting, grieving community struggling to cope.

"As soon as it opened, the Mockingbird Cafe was more than a place for coffee. It was a place we could meet family and friends; like a living room," said Chamber of Commerce executive director Tish Williams. "It meant so much to people who had lost so much."

Following Katrina, 100 percent of the town's businesses were shut down; 50 percent were severely damaged or destroyed. Across the Mississippi Coast, the lives of 400,000 survivors were changed forever.

Many of the residents of Bay St. Louis who remained...

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