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The Crescent City's shopping is as eclectic as its music, food, and culture. In local boutiques and specialty stores, you’ll find everything from rare antiques to novelty T-shirts, artwork, jewelry, fashion, and foods that represent the city's varied flavors. Up and down Magazine Street and throughout the French Quarter, you'll spot old-world influences intersecting with modern trends, making it easy for even the most discerning shopper to find something new to treasure.
New Orleanians have a deep love for their city and its culture. For shoppers, this translates into pride-centric merchandise, including jewelry and clothing bearing city emblems, such as the fleur-de-lis—the stylized iris design associated with New Orleans since its early days—and Mardi Gras masks, black-and-gold Saints symbols, and humorous statements about political issues and local personalities. Residents strongly support local entrepreneurs, and there are many homegrown stores selling locally made goods.
Make sure to pay attention to some of the city's artwork. Posters designed around Jazz Fest and other special events, for example, often become collector's items. In the thriving arts districts, you'll find contemporary works by local artists alongside renowned names in the art world. The sounds of New Orleans—Dixieland, contemporary jazz, rhythm and blues, Cajun, zydeco, rap, hip-hop, and the unique bounce beat—are available in music stores, such as Louisiana Music Factory and Peaches Records, and at live-music venues including Preservation Hall, Snug Harbor, and House of Blues. Bookstores stock a plethora of local books on photography, history, cooking, and folklore. Clothing stores focus on items that wear well in New Orleans's often intense heat and humidity, with styles ranging from the latest runway fashions to vintage frocks and styles by local designers.
Merging the attentiveness of a spa with the old-world charm of a barbershop, this high-end men's salon caters to guys who prefer getting a hot-towel shave and a haircut while enjoying a whiskey. The front of the store is devoted to manly diversions, with shaving sets, contemporary and New Orleans–theme cuff links, pocket knives, wallets, bow ties (a specialty), grooming products for face and hair, and gifts.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with an array of pralines, made while you watch. The traditional version is concocted from cane sugar spiked with pecans, but other flavors include chocolate, café au lait, and even bananas Foster. You can also buy hot sauce, prepackaged muffuletta mix, and Bourbon Street glaze, as well as art and books about New Orleans, zydeco CDs, and logo cups and aprons.
This dreamy cottage of French and English delights has richly scented soaps, vintage and new linens, antique enamelware, collectible plates, and decorative accessories.
The aroma of candy cooking will draw you into this sweets shop, established in 1900. You'll find a variety of pralines, pecan logs, and New Orleans's own Cuccia Chocolates, as well as coffee and gift baskets.
It's all about the Crescent City in this small shop filled with New Orleans–theme items, including glassware adorned with pewter fleurs-de-lis, affordable jewelry that boasts local icons, stationery, tiles, clocks, ceramics, framed crosses, charms, bottle stoppers, frames, candles, cookbooks, and more. This is a great place to pick up upscale souvenirs and gifts.
For a wholly pleasant and authentic voodoo experience, head to this family-owned shop on Saint Charles. Stocked with over 200 herbs, Haus of Hoodoo carries blended oils, candles, tinctures, and more, which come with distinct ritual instructions from a Haitian voodoo priestess, Manbo Jessyka. Often recommended is a ritual bath paired with a certain candle. Friendly, knowledgeable team members will walk you through everything, depending on your needs---from spiritual cleanses, to trouble in career and love---and are available for questions once you're home. The shop offers private spiritual workshops and a calendar of annual voodoo ceremonies
Founded by stage and television actor Bryan Batt (he played Salvatore Romano on Mad Men) and his partner, Tom Cianfichi, this jewel box of a shop carries gorgeous home accessories and gifts, including New Orleans–themed toile frames, decorative items, stemware, tableware, accent furniture, frames, and more.
At this fun little shop, wood becomes art at the hands of craftspeople who carve functional clocks, clipboards, and jewelry boxes, as well as whimsical whirligigs, hand-carved board games, puzzles, kaleidoscopes, and toys, proving that not all playthings need to be plugged in.
In the candy-making business since 1913, this shop sells sweet pralines as well as chocolate specialties—including its signature Mississippi mud, made with milk or dark chocolate laced with caramel.
Local designer Liz Maute Cooke is known for her witty and whimsical hand-printed greeting cards, sold in this shop alongside her signature apparel, paper goods, and other curated small gifts. The shop occasionally holds workshops on letterpress printing and other crafts.
Stocked with art and photography books, children's items, puzzles, jewelry, and locally made crafts, this gift shop is well worth a visit, even if you're not browsing the museum's exhibits. The shop has its own cookbook, as well as items created exclusively for it by local favorite jewelry designer Mignon Faget. You don't have to pay museum admission to enter the shop; just say you are shopping at the front desk, and you will receive a special pass.
Learn how to make a roux and other Louisiana cooking techniques at this school that's inside a renovated 1800s molasses warehouse. Lessons are seasoned with history and tales of the state's famous cuisine. The general store stocks all kinds of regional spices, condiments, sauces, snacks, gift baskets, and cookbooks.
Imported porcelain, vases, ceramics, jewelry, and the store's own line of smocked children's clothing are popular gift items. The store has a Monogram Shop, which allows you to customize your purchases, as well as a showroom of home furnishings, including accent furniture, lamps, and antique accessories.
A throwback to the days of Southern Belles, this shop on Jackson Square has linens and lace, ranging from christening outfits for babies to table runners, napkins, women's handkerchiefs, and more. It also offers a charming array of antiques and reproductions, such as perfume bottles, tea sets, fleurs-de-lis, and crosses.
The Italian-leather address books, fancy journals, hand-decorated photo albums, specialty papers, custom stationery, handmade invitations, and high-quality fountain pens sold here are fitting tributes to the art of handwriting. The store also creates gorgeous stationery with New Orleans themes.
Named for the famous Louisiana-produced hot sauce, this store also offers spices, cookbooks, New Orleans–themed clothing and aprons, kitchen accoutrements, ties, posters, pewter items, and more.
Everything in this store carries a New Orleans theme, making it a great place to buy souvenirs people will actually want to keep, including fleur-de-lis–covered flasks, decorative pillows, nightlights with shades made from photographs of city scenes, glassware, ceramics, jewelry, and other works by local artists.
