Your guide to Mardi Gras throws

TJ’s Carnival, Bingo, and Fair Supplies
29 Fairfield Ave., Gretna
392-7217
www.tjcarnival.com

Colorful TJ’s beads feature some local New Orleans topics, and are fit for the mantle. The “naturally Nawlins” strand features familiar icons of popular eating spots like Lucky Dogs downtown and Hansen’s Sno-Balls. They also sell a special dedication to NOPD featuring a very-detailed dangling police car, as well as a commemorative “school days” strand tagged with local high schools that have closed since Katrina. A more universal purchase would be the Michael Jackson-themed beads, set with a weighty MJ-initialed pendant, and a coordinated white glove and black, sparkle-banded fedora.

The Mardi Gras Spot
Plush Appeal, LLC
2812 Toulouse St.
482-6100
www.mardigrasspot.com

This is the spot to pick up some classic party favorites: blinking fleur de lis, traditional Mardi Gras-themed strands, as well as some more creative pieces such as a set with several smiling alligator-cooks each gripping a couple of ill-fated crawfish.  Also available are dress-up accessories, such as a featured ladies’ headband wrapped with a metallic-gold fabric and adorned with two bouncing jester-crowns. Come here to supplement your carnival wardrobe with all of the most popular Mardi Gras novelties.

Carnival Mart
8696 Florline Blvd., Baton Rouge
225-248-9720
www.carnivalmart.com

To adorn oneself with a strand of classy and elegant fleur de lis beads may put a touch of mystery into your carnival getup. If that’s not the look you’re going for, however, Carnival Mart is likely to have any other style of bead you’d prefer. Their festive selection includes themes with cartoon-characters, flags, pirates, African tribes, local animal species, and adult topics. Visit their store in Baton Rouge or check out the merchandise online.

Accent Annex
100 N. Labarre Rd., Metairie
834-2003
www.accentannex.com

At this Mardi Gras headquarters in Metairie, you’ll find beads that impart a quirky flair to traditional carnival themes. One set features an entourage of four merry, dancing pigs, nude aside from coordinated green, gold, and purple collars, tutus and other accessories. Another is decked out with a matching set of country-Cajun alligators playing Zydeco music on their accordions. The Annex also has a large selection of classic beads, beautiful hand-strung specialty beads, and every other kind of Mardi Gras paraphernalia imaginable.   

Mardi Gras Zone, LLC
2706 Royal St.  
947-8787  
http://mardigraszone.com

Mardi Gras Zone welcomes you to the dark side with their 2010 bead collection. If that’s the direction you’re headed style-wise this season, the store features occult mementos such as a trio of skulls with flames rising from gums that spread beneath a fortified handlebar mustache and black eye sockets, or a strung-out horned devil gripping a joint between his jagged teeth. There are also more mild themes, such as a lovely silver strand that features sedentary and in-flight pelicans, and several varieties of ladies’ shoe-pendants.

Tommy’s
4501 Veterans Blvd., Metairie
888-7254

Tommy’s store is full of a variety of beads, from the classics to some subtle but cute spins on the classics, such as a set of sparkled purple, green, and gold top-hats. Another is a seafood-themed strand with red, gold, and pearly white beads gapped by crabs, crawfish, and a few pairs of white shrimp boots, manufactured so delicately that you might even mistake the true-to-size crawfish for the real thing. This is the place to go if you’re open to anything, including surprises.