Member Spotlight
Tommy Navarra
Pam,Tommy and grandkids.
Tommy Navarra is not only a Community Foundation Annual Member, but also someone who deeply believes in the heart of our city. Strong Downtowns is one of the Just Imagine projects, and for Tommy, it’s personal.
Since Tommy Navarra was 10 years old and would walk from ICS (now ICCS) to Muller’s Department Store after school, he has seen downtown Lake Charles transform over the years. He has watched it evolve block by block, season by hurricane season.
He remembers when sidewalks were narrower and quieter, before new streetscape projects enhanced downtown's walkability. He has witnessed the waterfront transform from something you passed by into a destination that now feels like an extension of his own backyard.
Tommy owns and operates Navarra’s Jewelry & Gifts alongside his wife, Pam, and daughter, Melissa, a true family business rooted in tradition.
The store traces its beginnings back to 1962, when his father, Sammy Navarra, opened the jewelry shop in the very same downtown location at 1025 Ryan Street. Long before that, Sammy’s father (Tommy’s grandfather) ran a tire shop in that very spot, making the address a cornerstone of their family’s story for generations.
But Sammy’s impact on downtown extended far beyond the walls of the store. As the founder of the Krewe of Contraband in 1963, he helped create the Mardi Gras experience for the Lake Charles area.
For the Navarra family, Mardi Gras season isn’t just a celebration; it’s a family tradition.
Sammy Navarra pictured with his first jewelry display.
Tommy Navarra reigned as King of the Krewe of Contraband’s 60th Anniversary in 2024.
That deep connection to downtown, through business, service, and celebration, is something Tommy carries forward every day. “Customer service is the number one part of my business. Letting people know I’m here for them. My dad served people, and I serve people,” Tommy shared with pride.
With deep family roots planted firmly in downtown, Tommy’s perspective on its past, present, and future comes from decades of personal and professional investment. He’s a man with many ideas, which we all know, everything starts with an idea! From an aesthetically pleasing downtown parking garage with first floor retail space to the opportunity for smaller cruise ships to dock in Lake Charles, our conversation was filled with exciting possibilities.
When asked about what excites him about the future of SWLA, he said, “I am one of Lake Charles’ biggest cheerleaders. And for my kids and grandkids, I only see it getting better.”
In 2015, members of the Quality of Life Task Force for the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance saw the opportunity to create a dog park, and in partnership with the Community Foundation, raised funds for features such as benches, picnic tables, and water fountains. The city added fencing and this new city park opened in the summer of 2016.
Tommy’s mother, Catherine Navarra, was excited about the addition of the dog park for downtown. After her passing, Tommy and his sisters thought a wonderful way to honor her would be to recommend memorial contributions to the Community Foundation to help build the dog park.
“I ride my bike around the Port and Crying Eagle Lakefront and then say hello to Mom at the sign.”
Bark Du Lac stands as a powerful example of how the Community Foundation connects people who care with causes that matter. This is what can happen when citizens rally together around one idea and public and private partnerships align.
As a long-time Annual Member of the Community Foundation, Tommy shares, “the Foundation serves the community by finding solutions and bringing people together to do it.”
Bark Du Lac Dog Park–corner of Ann and Mill Streets.