ST. LANDRY PARISH — EUNICE, La. – Brandy Guillory's journey has come full circle, bringing her back to her roots in Eunice as the new owner of Coutee’s Grocery. Her path to business ownership has been anything but easy, shaped by service, sacrifice, and perseverance.
Raised by hardworking parents with limited resources, Guillory learned resilience early in life. In 2001, she made the bold decision to enlist in the U.S. Army.
"I just walked in and said, ‘Hey, can I join the military?’" Guillory recalled. "I wanted to do something bigger."
As a quartermaster and chemical mechanic, she served in the Iraq war, maintaining military vehicles and purifying water for troops. Her motivation, she said, was always to protect her parents and loved ones, but surviving out there was a different story.
"We’d go to sleep hearing gunfire and explosions, wake up to the same thing. And not everyone made it home," she said.
After suffering an injury, Guillory was honorably discharged in 2004. She returned home but struggled to find work as a mechanic. After a short stint at a mail distribution center, she was laid off, leaving her and her young daughter homeless.
"I had a three-year-old, I was pregnant, and we were homeless for eight months," she said. "We were living in my 2000 Dodge Stratus."
Determined to change her circumstances, Guillory pursued higher education, earning degrees in social and criminal justice before graduating from Southern University Law School in 2017.
She opened her own law firm in 2019 and has since represented more than 1,000 clients.
Now, Guillory is embracing a new venture—reopening Coutee’s Grocery, a beloved staple in the Eunice community. She and her husband Cody Popillion plan to rename it the Louisiana's Creole Corner store, selling meats, plate lunches, and groceries.
We’re bringing back sauce packs—with a twist!" she said. "Don’t worry, I think Mr. Coutee would be proud."
They also plan to paint murals to honor Joe Coutee, the original owner.
"It wasn’t just about buying a store. I loved the Coutee family, and I wanted to create something they’d be proud of," she said.
Although Guillory's parents passed before seeing her graduate from law school or open the store, she says their legacy lives on in everything she does.
"If it’s really your goal, you’ll do what it takes to get it done," she said.
