New Orleans Magazine Street
Six Miles of Handcrafts, Antiques, Art, Imports and Big Easy Food
The old street has reinvented itself as a shopping paradise featuring such local favorities as Mignon Faget,Dombourian Oriental Rugs, Perlis and Casamento Restaurant.
New Orleans’ Magazine Street is one of South Louisiana's favorite shopping sections and perhaps the Big Easy’s most underrated tourist attraction with its abundance of handcrafted jewelry, glass, pottery and unique home décor, as well as imported antiques and rugs.
Ths six mile stretch of shops, boutiques and restaurants hosts some of New Orleans better known firms, including:
- Mignon Faget, the well known New Orleans creator of handcrafted jewelry;
- Casamento’s Restaurant, a favorite New Orleans oyster and seafood house for decades;
- Dombourian Oriental Rugs, which dates back to 1910;
- Martin Wine Cellar, the city’s leading liquor leader for over 60 years
- Perlis Clothing, which offers one of the city’s favorite collections of upscale clothing, some with its unique crayfish logo.
- The Whole Foods Market, which is located at 5600 Magazine at the site of what was once the city’s primary streetcar barn;
Because it is located just a few blocks from the levees and high ground that line the Mississippi River, Magazine Street generally escaped Hurricane Katrina’s wrath. By 2008, the old narrow street had 168 merchants back offering a wide variety of crafts, products and personal services.
The Magazine Street Merchants Association lists 42 antique and furniture stores, nine art galleries, 37 apparel shops, 19 restaurants, bars, coffee shops and groceries, 25 home décor and gift shops, nine jewelry stores, six salons and spas, four rug stores, two silver shops, a bed and breakfast , plus another dozen stores and shops offering miscellanous crafts, products and services.
Magazine Street Named After 18th Century Spanish Warehouse
Magazine Street winds parallel to the Mississippi River, stretching six miles through the city’s uptown area from Canal Street to Audubon Park. It runs through the Julia Street art galleries, the Howard Avenue museums, serves as the southern border of the Garden District, and ends in the city's University Section.
The merchants association says it was named after an 18th Century Spanish warehouse called a "magazin."
The street is a great walking experience, offering old architectural gems as well as shopping, food and refreshments. But the merchants association cautions visitors not to try walking it from their Canal Street, Downtown or French Quarter hotels because it can be an exhausting six mile trek.
The Magazine Bus runs the length of the street and will get riders from Canal Street to Audubon Park for $1.50. A $5 all-day pass allows riders to go to the park and back and to get on and off the bus as desired. For decades, the street was a popular streetcar route.
Driving is another option because the street offers metered parking as well as considerable side street parking.
Most Shopping Starts Near World War II Museum
The best shopping area starts at Howard Avenue, which is the 1100 block of Magazine, right near the National World War II Museum.
The Terrell House Bed & Breakfast at 1441 Magazine is a convenient starting point for visitors planning overnight trips. Several St. Charles Avenue hotels are located just a few blocks from Magazine.
The street was primarily a series of neighborhood shopping areas until late in the 20th Century. It then started attracting tourists as artists, craftsmen and other entrepreneurs began opening shops in shotgun houses and buildings that previously hosted drug stores, bars, groceries, huge city-owned meat markets and even a streetcar barn.
