{"id":12503,"date":"2024-05-14T01:15:46","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T01:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/retail-adventures-new-orleans-store-tour-at-creativation-by-namta\/"},"modified":"2024-05-14T01:15:46","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T01:15:46","slug":"retail-adventures-new-orleans-store-tour-at-creativation-by-namta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/retail-adventures-new-orleans-store-tour-at-creativation-by-namta\/","title":{"rendered":"Retail Adventures New Orleans Store Tour at Creativation by NAMTA"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Retail<\/a><\/p>
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We couldn’t get everyone in the photo but we tried!<\/span><\/div>\n
Pictured with us are Marco Polo and Amerigo Vespucci,<\/span><\/div>\n
who are said to be among the first retailers. <\/span><\/div>\n

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Let the tour begin!<\/span>
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Our
\ntime at this year\u2019s Creativation by NAMTA included a retail store tour, one of
\nour favorite things to do. Creativation was held in New Orleans, one of our favorite places this year so it
\nwas a win-win situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

We began
\nour Retail Adventures on Royal Street, the heart of French Quarter shopping, and our best-loved shopping destination in New Orleans. Royal Street is block after block of extraordinary art galleries, antique stores, boutiques, gift shops, and restaurants highlighted with historic wrought
\niron balconies (no visible supports) and galleries (balconies supported by posts or columns), and magnificent architecture that is hundreds of years
\nold. Since 1911, Royal Street has been home to the Louisiana State Supreme Court building, and each day at 11:00 AM, the blocks on Royal between Bienville and
\nOrleans Streets become a pedestrian mall, featuring live music by amazing local
\nartists. There\u2019s a party every day!<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Our
\nfirst stop on our store tour was the fabulous M.S. Rau, purveyors of museum quality fine art, antiques, and jewels.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Here’s Jim, telling us all about collectables.<\/span><\/div>\n

Founded
\nin 1912, M.S. Rau is one of North America\u2019s most respected fine art,
\nantiques and jewelry galleries. Led by third-generation owner, Bill Rau, the
\ngallery operates globally, discovering items around the world and placing them
\nin both public and private international collections. The gallery features carefully selected works from a diverse
\narray of artists and makers who have defined the fine and decorative arts over
\nthe centuries. These include Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, Rembrandt van
\nRijn, Tiffany & Co., Paul Revere, Thomas Chippendale, Louis Comfort
\nTiffany, Ren\u00e9 Lalique and many others.<\/span> You don’t realize when you enter how large it is, the gallery has multiple stories and is three blocks deep.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We were
\ntreated to a private tour led by Jim Gillis and Danielle Halikias, both bringing
\na wealth of history and extraordinary experience to M.S. Rau. And to us, because we all had a million questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

We first met Jim a number of years
\nago when he seemed happy to answer questions from two people who had little to no
\nknowledge of antiques or fine art. And because it was a day off in sweltering New Orleans we were probably both in shorts and flip-flops. But that\u2019s the thing about this gallery: Everyone who enters is treated like royalty \u2013 graciousness is evident in every square foot of M.S. Rau.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Georganne asked Jim if we could see the “secret room” where the finest of art was housed. Jim said no, because there is no more secret room any longer. ALL of the fine art is displayed out in the open in an upstairs gallery.<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/span>A retailer on the tour commented that she couldn\u2019t believe she was inches away from so many masterpieces! The gallery lighting is custom and it is spectacular.<\/span><\/div>\n
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This is where our jaws dropped. And not for the last time.<\/span><\/div>\n
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We were invited to fill out a form so the gallery could mail us a full catalog.<\/span><\/div>\n
Which we happily did — on a $585,000 table.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Here’s Jim with Diana, Rich’s wife. Diana has a Black Belt in shopping.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Look up! On M.S. Rau’s staircase.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\n

Stop 2:
\nLe Jardin & Adorn<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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Le Jardin. It’s all local art inside, so the exterior sign is perfect.<\/div>\n

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Le
\nJardin<\/span><\/b> has been referred to as a
\n“Treasure in a Carriageway”. It\u2019s a wonderful open air art gallery that
\nsells original handmade art from local artists. The store opens up to a courtyard where art is displayed and artists sometimes come to create. On the left is another show room. Inside Le Jardin you\u2019ll find jewelry, blown
\nglass pieces, ceramics, all sorts of paintings, photography, prints, outdoor
\nart, and more. We love all the NOLA based art; a few pieces always find their
\nway back to St. Charles each trip. Directly next door, you\u2019ll is Adorn<\/b>,
\nLe Jardin, its sister store that offers a more refined selection of art pieces.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Le
\nJardin and Adorn are owned by Berhane Habtezion \u2013 AKA \u201cMr. B.” Strong proponents
\nof everything local, B and his late wife Heather, formed a strong support system
\nfor many talented but struggling artists in New Orleans, and for the population of their neighborhood that need a boost, providing support ranging from meals
\nand clothing to transportation and dental work.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
B and Georganne<\/span><\/div>\n

Georganne
\nmet B in 2014 when she asked him to make a cord for a necklace. He looked at her and said, \u201cI know you!\u201d He had been reading our Retail Adventures blog. What a small,
\nwonderful world!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Antieau Gallery New Orleans                           Photo: Off Beat magazine<\/span><\/div>\n

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\n

Stop 3:
\nAntieau Gallery<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Artist Chris Roberts-Antieau is a self-taught artist who paints with thread. Her creations are spectacular and the cool part is you never know which
\nmedium you’ll find \u201cpainted\u201d in her gallery. The gorgeous embroidered gown pictured above is one medium, but we have also seen things as diverse as embroidered taxidermied deer. Her highly acclaimed, whimsical embroidered tapestries are rooted in her devotion to JOY. And
\nsometimes comic relief. Chris’s work tells stories. Store associate Roser opened the gallery early for us and was happy to tell us all about Chris’s art.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Chris Robert Antieau’s Statement of Joy<\/span><\/div>\n
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You don’t know where to look next!<\/span><\/div>\n
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There’s Diana again, explaining to Rich why that piece needs to go home with them. And sometimes, you just need a place to sit and take it all in.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Wonder what Jim Scatena is thinking? Or thinking of buying!<\/span><\/div>\n
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Magnifying glasses came in handy for looking closely at the embroidered designs.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Jann Fenner, owner and designer, Fleur d’ Orl\u00e9ans<\/span><\/div>\n

Stop 4:
\nFleur d’ Orl\u00e9ans<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Step inside Fleur d’ Orl\u00e9ans and you\u2019ll find handcrafted jewelry that
\nis inspired by the fleur de lys and architecture of New
\nOrleans. Look carefully and you will see traces of the French Quarter, the Garden
\nDistrict, St. Louis Cathedral, brackets on porches, designs from cast iron
\nfences and more. Owner and designer Jann Fenner ensures that every collection, and every small design, is lovingly reproduced from buildings around the city,
\nreflecting its passions and history.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stop 5:
\nPapier Plume<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\n

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\n

If you
\nare a lover of all things handwritten then Papier Plume is your dream store come true. Owned by NAMTA member
\nPatrick Rideau, Papier Plume is a light and airy shop offering a collection of beautiful things
\nyou rarely find anymore. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

What a
\ndifference writing with a fine instrument makes! The shop carries every kind of
\npen you can imagine – and probably a few that you can\u2019t – plus writing inks, quills,
\nhandmade stationery and papers, inkwells, calligraphy sets, luxurious journals, sealing
\nwax and stamps, accessories, and more. And if you have never used a quill or
\nfountain pen, you can try one here.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This is what happens when you let a group of creatives loose in Papier Plume!<\/div>\n

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\n

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At every visit we buy something from items this table…<\/span><\/div>\n
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When in New Orleans!<\/span><\/div>\n

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Even checking out is an experience.<\/span><\/div>\n
Here, Amanda Hudson graciously wraps a purchase.<\/span><\/div>\n
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We think James Doles enjoyed answering our thousands of questions about pens. The retailer in the beret found the same pen he used when he started university.<\/span><\/div>\n
He still has,and uses, that very pen. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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If you look closely, you can see Rich trying not to look at the merchandise. He failed.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Stop 6: Jackson Square<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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Next, we had a free 30 minutes to roam Jackson
\nSquare<\/b> (Place d’Armes), a must-see area that was designed in the image of
\nParis’s oldest planned square, the Place des Vosges. It\u2019s a gathering place, hub of live music, and an irresistible open-air art gallery. Each year, 200 local
\nartists paint, draw, and display their artwork outside on the park’s iron fence. Here are two of our favorites:<\/span><\/p>\n

 
We are proud owners of a painting from Danny Delancey’s Stroll series.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\n
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And we have marked many an occasion with a Jean Bird painting<\/span><\/div>\n

by artist Katie Leech.<\/span>

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The Cathedral
\nBasilica of St. Louis <\/span><\/span>\u2013 AKA the St. Louis
\nCathedral<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

At the heart of Jackson Square is the St. Louis Cathedral, one of New Orleans’ most notable landmarks. It serves as <\/span>the <\/span>mother church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and is <\/span>the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

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Our driver got us to each stop, sharing NOLA tidbits along the way.<\/span><\/div>\n


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Next, we boarded our trusty silver steed and headed to Mo’s Art Supplies on <\/span>Bienville Street (pronounced
\nBee-N-ville)<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stop 7: Mo\u2019s Art Supply & Framing<\/b> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

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Go Forth and Create!<\/span><\/div>\n

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Mo\u2019s
\nArt Supply & Framing has been enabling artists since 2003. Owner and NAMTA
\nmember, Simone Burke holds many titles, including Founder, CEO, CFO, COO,
\nPresident, Vice President, Secretary of State, Human Resources, Marketing
\nManager, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Janitor. She is fierce about her
\nstores and encouraging you to shop locally. In person.<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The
\nstore we visited is housed in a mid-century church that glows with stained
\nglass and is filled with a huge selection of art materials, plus design-centric
\ngifts for home and studio. There\u2019s even a custom frame shop where the baptismal
\npool used to be. Simone says You WILL be converted. And we were!<\/span><\/p>\n

After our time at Mo’s Art Supply & Framing we hopped on the bus to spend the remainder of the day in business seminars and hands-on workshops at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. <\/span>All in all we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day – we are already making plans for next year’s tour when Creativation by NAMTA will be held in Seattle!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By the way, if you are part of the creative industries and have not joined the National Art Materials Association (NAMTA), you should. And if you haven’t visited New Orleans yet, you should do that, too. And take us with you!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


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COPYRIGHT KIZER & BENDER 2024 | Retail Adventures Blog<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


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