This place is a hidden gem! I saw it while driving down Williams Boulevard and decided to stop in…read moreand glad I did. The store is clean, welcoming, and packed with Mardi Gras essentials. They have an awesome selection of beads, accessories, and throws. It's a wholesale supplier, so you can get items at incredibly low prices. I'm shocked more people don't know about this spot. Will absolutely be back for future Mardi Gras supplies. Service was great too.

Pandemic update: For December 2020, the Market has moved to…read moreCity Park on the Great Lawn across from the Peristyle. It is much smaller than the usual December markets at Palmer Park but it is well spread out. It is happening every Saturday until Christmas. You enter from the Dreyfous Dr side of the Great Lawn, where you leave your info for contact tracing and they have hand sanitizer. The whole area is taped off and we are trusted to be adults and comply; but in case you aren't a good citizen, there is a security guard nearby. There were 20-30 vendors selling their wares. Everyone was masked and I was glad to see more and more vendors were excepting e-payments. Great way to support local artists and get some amazing presents for your loved one or you!

Fabulous way to shop local and support artists. In what other way can you gather gifts for multiple…read morepeople, under an hour all in the same place? Even better, the Black Friday/small business Saturday offered some amazing deals! For under $100 I got gifts at 4 different booths for 3 people!

Boom Boom Esther is the champ. Set us up with quantity Zulu…read morethemed throws for our GK-2026 float ride. Good discounts if you tell her you want "a lot" (like over 700). Boom Boom

What a great find! We were able to buy all the necessary and not so necessary items for a real…read moreMardi Gras party. This place is well priced and well stocked! My kids loves all their trinkets and I love the "Go Cups" we used for our Pimms Cup and Purple Drank! I can't wait to go back and buy more items.

I've tried three of their throwing classes and thought it was really affordable with their BIPOC…read morefellowship prices. Though the studio is old, each class provides EVERYTHING you need to practice on the wheel - clay, tools, aprons, etc. You have to pay extra per piece you want to fire and we didn't get free reign with glazes and trimming (the instructors do it for you). But I didn't mind for the price, and it makes it easier for those who take the class to spend it entirely on honing in the art of throwing. Overall a great start for beginners who have always wanted to try ceramics! They really create a safe space for you to mess up and learn. Taught by experienced instructors, Byrdie's has reasonable membership prices as well!

You are reading this here first: Byrdies makes the best sandwich I've ever had. What's more? It's…read morealso the cheapest sandwich in New Orleans! The value is incredible (ie, I don't mean shitty American "cheese" and limp iceberg lettuce-cheap. I deserve better than that. *You* deserve better than that). Those tomatoes on there are probably heirloom and for greens, we're talking arugula. The specialty veg sandwich has an avocado spread that's out of this world divine delicious and the other day, I was introduced to the joys of buttermilk cheese sprinkled on top. They make their own *bread* for god's sake... If you don't like red onions or red pepper, Chris will gladly substitute you with something else. And whatever the ingredient, there's just the right amount of everything perfectly combined to make a sandwich into an edible piece of art. OK, so the price for this incredible sandwich that I still can't stop thinking about and have had to have twice in less than a week when I normally don't eat lunch out? FIVE FUCKING DOLLARS! Make that four with the Yelp Check-In offer. I shit you not. And yes, I'm cursing up a motherfuckingstorm because I feel like I've discovered something not many people know about (with the exception of Yelptern, Emily A, who introduced me to the joys of Byrdie's sandwiches just recently). And just so you know I mean business. I consider this place to be really off the grid when it comes to food. For the love of a good sandwich, stop in immediately and do yourself a favor with one of these incredible concoctions. See a fantastic art installation that a righteous feline might be guarding along the way... One other thing: I haven't tried it yet, but you should probably also know there's a homemade lavender bread with homemade strawberry jam, along with other pastries made in-house. These folks aren't fucking around.

I had always wanted to check out the Garden District Book Shop where the late Anne Rice used to do…read morebook readings and signings. There is a series of book shelves devoted to her work with the coffin frame around it. They have both autographed vintage copies of her work and newer editions. They have an excellent selection of local writers and locally-based work in addition to general fiction, nonfiction, LGTBQIA+, and more. There is also the Epilogue Bar if you want to enjoy a drink while reading the book you purchased. I picked up a few books centered around NOLA that were intriguing to me. The two staff behind the front counter were chatty and friendly as we made our purchases. It's a great location to check out at The Rink building in the Garden District.

Happened upon this bookstore after having breakfast in the same building. They have a resident dog…read morewhich made my day! I love a good bookstore! They had a wonderful selection and even a section for Anne Rice. We We're so glad we stopped in!

When I first saw the name of this store, I thought of the Stevie Wonder song of the same name…read more Don't know it? Here. Listen to it. https://youtu.be/Fb4jguPLceQ Ok, now that you are done, here are my thoughts on the store, which are similar to the lyrics "Ma Sherie Amour, lovely as a summer day" in that everything here seems to flow with the mood of summer. I came in one late afternoon with a friend from out of town. We were window shopping in the Quarter, she had seen this store the previous day and wanted to come back. I am so glad she brought me in here. Colorful trinkets, cute earrings, and these amazing stringed flying winged creatures. I know that last part sounds weird, and it is odd, but one long string, you attach the appropriate end to the ceiling and let it hang. Spread on the string are various sizes of butterflies, birds, and they are just so lovely. There was home décor, cute sweaters that when you extend your arms while wearing it, it appears that there are wings on your back. I will be back for gifts in the future. Everything is so delicate, I would not recommend bringing in small children with curious fingers.

It is a very sweet shop and it has many lovely items. It's quite whimsical and will remind you of…read moreShakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with the fantasy nature theme. That being said you should definitely check it out. The only reason it's not a 5 star is because I personally think the prices are a tad high. But I did purchase a charming little heart stone from here and I definitely made the best of it. You see my fiance couldn't join me on this trip so I bought it for him as a gift. Then I decided to take pictures of everything wonderful I wish he was there to see with the heart stone in the picture. It was later a lovely gift and now it's a travel stone. When one of us travels without the other they have to take the heart with them and take pictures of everything we wish the other to see with the stone.

Located in the courtyard of Dat Dog Magazine, this art market is usually open most weekends from…read more12-6 (depending on weather) but it is also beginning to have regular shows on Saturday evenings for First Saturdays. The art is varied and sometimes there's a musician or snacks for sale. The space can get tight when it's crowded but just wait a bit and the crowd thins. I've seen everything from paintings to fabric to jewelry to sculpture for sale. I love that this market is constantly expanding.

This was so much fun! Grab a beer and the crawfish étouffée dog from dat dog and browse some local…read morevendors' art and other finds. I got my dog an adorable bandana there that he loves!

While walking about New Orleans I ran across this wonderful shop with so many beautiful items…read more Check it out if you are going to be in The French Quarter near Jackson Square.

This is a frilly-froo-froo store. Totally not my cup of tea, but my mother-in-law went in there…read morewhile we were shopping and I followed along. The store, like all the stores, is simply too full of merchandise. It's just everywhere. They obviously stay in business because they are a super-specialty store. One of a kind, and I guess I should give them an extra star for that (meaning I don't see these stores everyday of my life, and that's a great thing!) but I'm not. They get one star and for that they should be thankful. I will say that the older lady who just works there was very helpful to my MIL. She answered questions and hustled. But she's not even enough to raise a star. The store owner was a jerk. I would use another word, but I try to keep my reviews clean. I saw a keychain that I wanted, one that I've actually wanted where the car keys go on one end and house keys on the other end and can clip off. Yeah, simple but I saw it and wanted it. I asked about the price and the owner, who you'd think would be happy to sell something, was rude. He even checked the other keychains to make sure I didn't mess them up or take any. Later on he checked the items for my MIL, was rude to her also, and overcharged her for an item the sales lady told us was on sale. It was a very unpleasant experience. Unless you need a Victorian-style lace doily, handkerchief, or something of that sort, avoid the store. And if you DO need said items, find them online!