Big Easy Bonanza

By Laura Koss-Feder

For many vacationers and business travelers, New Orleans is the ultimate party town, synonymous with delectably spicy food, wickedly strong mixed drinks served in a "go" cup, and the unique sounds of zydeco tunes and Dixieland jazz. But behind the revelry lies a quieter realm of historic richness and beauty: the city's celebrated antiques district, which features an estimated 300 stores in and around the French Quarter, some just steps away from the teeming restaurants and blaring clubs. Within their glowing interiors, the shops offer silverware, jewelry, furniture, chandeliers and other accessories to suit virtually every taste and budget. As you might expect, there are heirlooms from the region's antebellum plantations, but most stores feature antiques from England and France, with a smattering from Holland, Italy and Germany. The treasures range from a $35 piece of silver flatware to a $50,000 rare armoire to a $265,000 Baccarat crystal chandelier.

Sylvia Goodman, 61, a retired high school teacher, frequently makes the 325-mile drive from her home in Shreveport, La., to New Orleans to indulge her passion for 18th century English furniture and accessories. She has made 20 purchases in the city's shops, including tables, mirrors, silver serving pieces and jewelry. Her favorite: a 100-year-old collapsible library ladder with leather rungs for $2,000. "I've acquired antiques from all over the world, in places like Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris and New York City," says Goodman. "But I think New Orleans is one of the best places to shop--for everything from fine items that cost a bundle to junky, kitschy trinkets."

New Orleans owes its concentration of antiques to its European heritage--it was settled by the French in the 1700s and later occupied by the Spanish before becoming part of the U.S.--which brought many dealers to the area from those countries. Its standing as a port city and a major Southern trading center stimulated the growth of the business. And the city's culture and music has attracted many people in the arts with an affinity for antiques. Says Peter Moss, co-owner of Keil's Antiques on Royal Street, which was founded by his great-grandmother Hermina Keil in 1899: "Antiquing is an Old World business, and New Orleans is an Old World town with a lot of color and history to it."

There are two main antiquing areas in the city. A walkable collection of stores is concentrated in the French Quarter, mostly spanning eight blocks on Royal Street and seven blocks on nearby Chartres Street. These dealers tend to feature older, pricier and one-of-a-kind historic items. At the edge of the Quarter starts Magazine Street, which runs for six miles and ventures into residential neighborhoods that include the lovely Garden District. Shops on Magazine Street are more eclectic and offer newer, less costly antiques. These boutiques are spread out, so to take them in, it would make sense to rent a car.

While you could easily spend a week shopping in New Orleans' myriad stores, a good rule of thumb if your time is limited is to give yourself a day or two just to browse and ask merchants questions plus another day to make purchases, says Macon Riddle, president of Let's Go Antiquing, a New Orleans antiques consulting and shopping service. For $100 an hour, with a three-hour minimum, Riddle will accompany you on shopping jaunts, pinpointing the stores that offer what you're looking for. Notes Peter Moss: "Many people just accidentally bump into our antiques stores while on a first trip here and then come back on another trip just to do some shopping."

While some shops carry all kinds of antiques, many specialize. Gerald Katz Antiques on Royal Street concentrates on antique and estate jewelry, according to its president, David Gibson. His offerings range from a pair of "retromodern" American 1940s earrings for $400 to an 1870 French emerald, diamond and gold bracelet for $125,000. Military-history buffs looking for antique toy soldiers can stop into David Dugas' shop, Le Petit Soldier, also located on Royal Street. There you can shell out anywhere from $20 for a 1930s, 3 1/2-in. papier-mache soldier to $4,500 for a 1930s windup German gunboat.

If you prefer mirrors, Chartres Street's Mirror Mirror has about 300 American and European items in stock, ranging from the 18th century through 1950, says store partner Ellie Fowler. Her prices run from $300 to $10,000. Animal lovers can find a potpourri of specialties at Animal Art Antiques, located on Arabella Street outside the Quarter. Owner Charles Murphy cites items ranging from oyster plates costing $175 each to an 1853 British oil painting of English Setters at $18,000.

Shoppers in search of items related to eating and cooking can go to Lucullus, which features antique culinary finds in two stores, on Chartres and Magazine streets, says owner Patrick Dunn. In addition to such varied items as a $35 breadbasket and a $35,000 18th century French dining-room table, the stores have some unique pieces. For instance, the Chartres Street location features a Sicilian clay wine cup dating back to biblical times that sells for $800.

The specialized focus of New Orleans shops is a boon to collectors like Anne Jennings, 57, a retired teacher from Roanoke, Va. Jenkins' mother owned a set of rare 100-year-old Imari plates, which are hard to find in good condition. For her mother's 70th birthday, Jenkins spent three months in antiques centers like Boston and Charleston, S.C., searching in vain for a matching set. Then in one visit to Magazine Street, Jennings had a "great conquest": she found 12 more plates in good condition for $1,000. "My mother was so thrilled," she says. "Every time I see those plates on display in her home, it reminds me of this very special purchase that I made in New Orleans."

With so many antiques shops to choose from, how do you make the most of your buying experience in the Big Easy? Have your budget in mind ahead of time so that you are looking for merchandise you know is definitely in your price range, recommends Mirror Mirror's Fowler. If you have a digital camera or a Polaroid, she adds, take pictures of antiques you are considering buying as you wander from store to store so that you can visually compare different items at the end of the day. Examine pieces carefully by opening drawers and cabinets. Look for water damage and nicks. Find out the history, age and original location of the pricier pieces you're thinking of buying, urges Riddle of Let's Go Antiquing. Ask whether an antique is purely from one period or if it has "married" parts from different eras that may have been attached, says art dealer Kevin Molony, president of Royal Insider, a New Orleans host agency that offers customized gallery outings to shops and can assist you in buying antiques. Pieces that are not entirely from one period are less valuable, he points out.

Don't accept a merchant's first asking price for more expensive items, Fowler suggests. Feel free to bargain, but be reasonable. You may be able to negotiate a $4,000 price down to $3,000, but don't expect to wind up paying $1,000. "Save the hard-core bargaining for the really pricey pieces," Riddle says. "If you see something that costs $50 and it really speaks to your heart, then just get it." New Orleans antiques dealers all know one another and will work together to ship items bought in their stores, Moss says, so you can consolidate shipping and insurance costs. One bonus of shipping out of state: you save on the 9% Louisiana sales tax.

Whether you're going to New Orleans as a novice antiques shopper or an accomplished collector, keep in mind that the ultimate goal is to enjoy what you buy. "Pick out what you really love and what you think is gorgeous," Riddle says. "That's the beauty of antiquing." Then you can celebrate with a creole dinner and a night of jazz on Bourbon Street.