The Historic Swoop-Duggins House, located at 916 Lafayette Street in the heart of New Orleans' Central Business District, is a premier event venue for weddings, corporate gatherings, and special events. More than just a venue, Swoop-Duggins provides a seamless, all-inclusive event planning experience, handling everything from in-house catering and bar packages to entertainment, florals, transportation, and personalized event websites.
My partnership with the owner, Linda, didn’t begin with this venue—it started years earlier when she needed a website overhaul for her former business, The Starlite Lounge. From that first project, I focused on more than just design, taking the time to understand her goals, audience, and challenges. The result? A modernized, high-performing website that drastically improved her SEO, streamlined her customer experience, and transformed her online presence—leading to a direct increase in inquiries and bookings.
So, when Linda made the leap to purchase The Historic Swoop-Duggins House, I knew this project required an even deeper approach to branding and storytelling. Unlike a new build, this was a venue with a story waiting to be told—one that had never been fully uncovered. Local rumors suggested it had been a brothel, but no verified history existed. Over six months, while also developing the new website, branding, and marketing strategy, I conducted an exhaustive historical deep dive—researching census records, archived newspapers, and local archives to piece together its 160-year-old past. My research confirmed the brothel rumors and even led me to descendants of the original owners and Sebastian Swoop’s grave—the man who completed the home’s original construction.
This rediscovered history became a cornerstone of the Swoop-Duggins brand, offering something no marketing campaign could fabricate: an authentic, tangible story that resonated with guests and the city itself. But storytelling alone doesn’t drive long-term business success.
The success of The Historic Swoop-Duggins House is proof that a business doesn’t need massive ad spends or big marketing budgets to thrive—it needs a brand built on authenticity, attention to detail, and a deep understanding of its audience. By focusing on organic growth and well-thought-out business decisions, we’ve created a venue that doesn’t just look beautiful—it performs better, earns more, and delivers an experience guests won’t find anywhere else.
Work Completed
Extensive historical research of 916 Lafayette building
Website development, optimization, and management
Google Business profile growth and management
Email marketing campaigns
Social media strategy, management, and insight reporting
General graphic design, branding, and promotional materials
Highly detailed analytical reporting to track long-term performance
A keyword-driven blog campaign, positioning Swoop-Duggins as a trusted authority on New Orleans event planning and history, while also boosting SEO and website ranking
“Prior to hiring Sara, she and I sat down for an interview, however I wasn’t the interviewer. She quizzed me about my business and my goals and took extensive notes. Shortly after our meeting she came up with a detailed proposal specific to my needs that clearly articulated the technical and design web based services she could provide that would help grow my fledgling business. It was a menu that I could pick and choose from, allowing me to select what I thought my online business presence needed most and leave other options available for a later date.
Once I selected the options that made sense for my budget and needs (website update and SEO search help) she presented a time line so I would know when to expect job completion. My existing website was cluttered, mobile phone unfriendly and required my almost constant attention. Sara’s finished product is beautiful, customer friendly, hands off and now easier to find in search engines.
Prior to Sara’s work, any potential customers came to me only after finding me on websites I advertise on rarely did they contact me directly from my website email link. Almost immediately after my new site went live my inbox saw an uptick in requests for more information about my business services and now, after 4 months, I average 3-5 emails a day coming directly from my website. The business increase since Sara completed her contracted work has more than paid for her services.
I would highly recommend Sara to anyone looking for help with their online presence, she is easy to communicate with, has great ideas, doesn’t push services you don’t want and is a pleasure to work with.”
— LINDA NOVAK, OWNER OF THE HISTORIC SWOOP-DUGGINS HOUSE