Supporting Local Businesses
It's hard to believe it's been over 10 years since American Express exploded their promotion for supporting small businesses with Small Business Saturday—a day nationally reserved (and observed) for shopping at said small businesses.
While Black Friday consists of mega-shopping events at big box stores and Cyber Monday unlocks the e-commerce floodgates, Small Business Saturday brings holiday shopping back to its roots. The camaraderie of strolling down the street, streaming in and out of local shops, is nostalgic and has a feel-good appeal. According to its 2018 survey, American Express boasted "record high spending of an estimated $17.8 billion on Small Business Saturday" in 2019. When it comes to Small Business Saturday in New Orleans, it is facilitated by New Orleans' independent business alliance StayLocal. On November 30th, independent businesses citywide add festive atmospheres and special holiday deals to the expert service, hand-selected goods, and local flavor that retailers offer throughout the year.
More often than not, when many of us New Orleanians think "shop small" in New Orleans, we think of bustling Magazine Street, which will be festive as always. New Orleans also has other notable local shopping districts, such as Oak Street and Bayou Road—which is ensconced by striving businesses in the African American Heritage Corridor. In 2018, Bayou Road's Community Book Center lent their space to local entrepreneurs as a venue to host pop-ups and sell merchandise.
Shopping on Oak Street:
Blue Cypress Books
8126 Oak St.
Louisiana Running and Walking Co.
8123 Oak St.
Haase's Shoe Store
8119 Oak St.
Eclectic Home
8211 Oak St.
Rabbit Ears
8225 Oak St.
Glue Clothing Exchange
8206 Oak St.
Shopping on Bayou Road:
Community Book Center
2523 Bayou Rd.
Domino Sound Record Shack
2557 Bayou Rd.
Material Life
2521 Bayou Rd.
Cupcake Fairies
2511 Bayou Rd.
Ego's Gentlemen Spa
2509 Bayou Rd.
Whiskey and Sticks
2513 Bayou Rd.
Shopping in Uptown:
The Encore Shop
7814 Maple St.
Friend & Company Fine Jewelers
7713 Maple St.
Mignon
5414 Magazine St.
More Fun Comics
8200 Oak St.
Dirty Coast
5415 Magazine St.
Pippen Lane
2930 Magazine St.
Shopping in Garden District:
Hazelnut
5525 Magazine St.
Empire Antiques
3617 Magazine St.
Funky Monkey
3127 Magazine St.
Miss Claudia's Vintage Clothing & Costumes
4204 Magazine St.
rickRACK
1927 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
Shopping in Mid-City:
Uxi Duxi
4901 Canal St.
NOLA Craft Culture
127 S. Solomon St.
Floor 13
341 N. Hennessey St.
Junk's Above
3157 Gentilly Blvd.
Tubby & Coo's Book Shop
631 N. Carrollton Ave.
Massey's Outfitters Nola
509 N. Carrollton Ave.
Shopping in Lakeview:
Little Miss Muffin Children & Home
400 Harrison Ave.
Evolve + Matcha
766 Harrison Ave.
Lakeview Grocery
801 Harrison Ave.
Phina
425 Harrison Ave.
Swoon Boutique
130 Harrison Ave.
Chez Pierre Bakery Lakeview
130 Harrison Ave.
Shopping in Gentilly:
Adrians Bakery
4710 Paris Ave.
Ivine Essential Magic
4718 Paris Ave.
PrettyLittleThingsCakes
4935 Mandeville St.
Frodeje'
3157 Gentilly Blvd.
Orleans Furniture
4700 Old Gentilly Rd.
Peewee's Crabcakes
4500 Old Gentilly Rd.
Shopping in NOLA East:
1st Lady Lingerie & Novelties
10800 Morrison Rd. #110
Treadway Botanica
7011 Read Blvd. Site B
Grimaldi Official
10555 Lake Forest Blvd. Ste. 9A
Dong Phuong Bakery
14207 Chef Menteur Hwy. Ste. 1A
Mark your calendars. November 30th is just around the corner. Happy "Small" Shopping!
