Top Five Essentials to Make Your Jazz Fest the Best !
Pack you gear bag full of essentials found at the boutiques and shops at The Historic French Market. Our top five essentials can be found at the more than 20 permanent shops along the colonnade. Need something not on our list? Visit the open air flea market for incredible bargains and inspired goods. You’ll find little surprises throughout the aisles in the outdoor flea market area.
Since 1791, The French Market vendors have offered the best of good shopping along the historic Mississippi River. It’s the oldest continually operated outdoor market in the United States. The shops extend from Jackson Square down the Colonnade anchored by Café du Monde and extending to the French Market Café where live Jazz is played outdoors 365 days a year. Of course you have hundreds of locals vending at the Flea Market area and the unique boutiques along the riverside colonnade, are lively from mid-morning until late in the evening.
Our top essentials go from rain boots and umbrellas to totes and sunnies...
You’ll find it all at The French Market.
1.Gear Bags and Totes . . .Essential to Hold Your Essentials.
Try Muse (532 St. Peter Street) for handwoven and ethnic bags that are chic and add flair to your ensemble.
Pop City (940 Decatur Street) has convertible bags that go from hobo shoulder style to backpack easy in a bag made from vegan materials.
2.Sunnies
Cut down on the glare and get into a pair of chic sunnies. The choice endless.
Visit Optical Shop (912 Decatur Street) sleek selection top brands such as Prada, Parasol and others. These are serious sunglasses with the serious style factor turned way up.
Just a few doors down, Baby One (930 Decatur Street) carries sun glasses for your baby and toddler. Miniature versions of popular adult styles really are cute and functional. Pop City (940 Decatur Street) carries chic and easy sunglasses in bright colors and are an alternative for those that left their sunglasses behind either at home or in the hotel room. These fashionable sunnies sell for $10 and $16.
3.Sunhats and Fedoras
Try Chapel Hats (536 St. Peter Street) a staple for hats for more than 40 years with a variety of high end and packable sunhats. Maybe you already grabbed a beautiful bag from Muse, well try on their collection of curated sunhats with wide brims and stunning styles
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Up on the colonnade, Pop City carries festive cowboy and bright embroidered baseball hats with the “Nola Arrow” brand. Of course Voodoo Harley Davidson (812 Decatur Street) has its own line of logo hats emblazoned with their trademark style. Quite collectible. There’s a lot to choose from and no two shop logos are alike. Very cool spot.
If you are looking for handmade hats, stop by The Dutch Alley Artist Co-op (912 N. Peters Street) Tracy Thompson’s Kabuki hats are displayed among the other amazing local art offerings. Thompson’s signature New Orleans water meter berets are displayed alongside her woven, whimsical and packable hats. Great protection from the sun and really a wonderful and practical souvenir. Kabuki hats are so beautiful that many people display them as art when they aren’t wearing them.
4.Sandals and Flip Flops
Pop City is the exclusive retailer of Reef footwear in the French Quarter carrying both men’s and women’s styles. Literally, there are hundreds of styles to choose from. If you are looking for a more upscale sandal, their leather and cork platforms imported from Spain (the mother land!) and Portugal are among some of the most popular items they sell.
Right up the colonnade at Head to Toe (816 Decatur Street) you’ll find stylish women’s flip flops emblazoned with blingy icons that take the style volume up a few notches.
Baby One (930 Decatur Street) carries tiny sandals for baby festers. And, visit Muses and Celia’s (614 St. Peter Street) for their upscale sandals and wedges.
5.Rain boots and Umbrellas – Rain or Shine
Aunt Sally’s (810 Decatur Street) isn’t just about Pralines. The shop offers specialty items for the home and kitchen and among those goodies are umbrellas created by local artist Jax Frey. You’ll find them behind the counter. Just ask. They are the cutest packable style featuring Frey’s artwork depicting icons of New Orleans.
Pop City carries a few selections of umbrellas by two well-known makers. Fabinola’s parasol styles have embellishments of the fleur de lis, mermaids and voodoo skulls. Steve Winn created the new Orleans map umbrella from a 150 year old map of the French Quarter. There is a packable version and a full version as well. Alongside the locally made umbrellas, Pop City carries a full line of rain boots with bright, whimsical graphics in both the “wellington” style an “cowboy boot” style.
6. And a Little Lagniappe...
While perusing the shops from the Flea Market to the Upper Pontalba we noticed that The Little Toy Shop (900 Decatur Street) has quite the collection of musical instruments for kids. Bells, whistles, shakers and rhythm makers. Prices for these melody makers start at just 2.99!! You can shake, rattle and roll into Jazz Fest with a little something that will help you groove out . . .for the young and young minded!
