st
Simone quickly realized that the demolition business is a salvage business . The historic beauty of New Orleans architecture needs to be delicately dismantled and repurposed . In 2015 , she started her second business , Reclaimed Diva Millworks , milling coveted antique longleaf heart pine out of old New Orleans buildings to be made into custom traditional flooring , mantles , and stairs . Oldgrowth heart pine is over 300 years old and is no longer commercially available ; real heart pine is always reclaimed . Simone ’ s passion is to preserve the past by repurposing this historic wood , reclaiming our glory days one piece of wood at a time so that it may be enjoyed for generations to come . how
One demolition led her to a yard where a tiny squirrel , barely a month old , ran onto her shoe as if begging for help . “ Bucky ” was bottle fed and lived in Simone ’ s shirt and on her shoulder , inspiring her further to rescue animals . Since Simone is a licensed arborist , she often runs across animals in need of rehabilitation . She now serves as a pipeline for animals in need to a
Reclaimed Diva Millworks ( 504 ) 486-4121 | reclaimeddiva . com 260 Saint George Avenue , Jefferson , Louisiana 70121
local Wildlife and Fisheries-certified rehabilitation specialist . Between all this , she found time to serve on Louisiana ’ s SPCA board for five years and to participate in many other charitable causes .
Simone ’ s parents ’ beloved kitten “ Pumpkin ” was found by the demolition crew under the slab of a house . Simone adores her four cats that were rescued from a Julia Street demolition . Nita Hemeter , a local Trap-Neuter-Release expert , is hired to go to sites before demolition to assure the safety of the animals . If you are lucky , you may see Simone out on the demo site with her adorable fluffy Mini Aussiedoodle aptly named “ Dōcē ,” Portuguese for “ sweet .” Very sweet , indeed … both of them !
PupandPurr . com 23