I'll be in New Orleans for a visit in a few months time. Any magic stores still open in New Orleans?

Ed

Any ideas? Anyone? I am in New Orleans right now I just got here.

I've left message on the SAM thread for members of local 36 to contact me, but have not heard a word. You can go to the national SAM site and they will list a cupola names in NO for contact purposes. Same with the IBM site. Good luck.

There doesn't seem to be much happening magic wise in New Orleans. I tried contacting Earle Christenberry Jr. who is listed on the IBM page for the New Orleans IBM chapter and received no reply from him.

When I was there in the 60s there was only one small store in the French Quarter and my friend Gottlieb Kogel who sold stuff out of his house.
There was an active IBM and SAM with occasional combined conventions. The aftermath of Katrina was probably when everything died. Everyone in the flood zone lost everything, water was as high as the second story. I tried contacting people but they had moved. Christenberry, Fountain, Adams, et al, had quite nice collections that was probably destroyed. Even Ralph Fountains relative, Pete Fountain, the clarinet player lost his whole collection of instruments. I can't imagine what it would feel like to lose a lifetime of magic collection.
Next time try the names on the SAM site when trying to contact people. SAM was always more active than IBM in NO. Also, Christenberry is up into his eightys, maybe he has lost the feeling.
I have had a post in the SAM section here at the Café for quite awhile asking for current SAM members to contact me, no luck in getting a response.

Hey guys, sorry I'm a little late in catching this thread. I live in New Orleans and with the exception of a few street magicians from out of town that work the Quarter, there is not much here for magic. There used to be a Magic shop on Canal Street when I was a kid- 1976. Not sure when it closed. Richard Kaufman knows some details about this store. In the 80's, there was a magic shop in the Jax Brewery mall and at some point there was one in the River Walk mall. The last magic shop was in the French Quarter, in the 90's right off of Decatuer Street. They closed before Katrina. I do know that John Racherbaumer has a weekly gathering, informal, at an Applebees restrnt on mondays, 7p.m. to midnight. I also heard that David Hughes, an insurence agent, has a large magic collection.

Didn't Harry Anderson have a magic shop in New Orleans?

He did. Then Katrina hit. He stayed. But the election where they re-elcted their corrupt mayor Nagin was the last straw and he moved on to Asheville, N.C. Their loss!

Of course, there's always Voodoo Authentica if you're into THAT kind of magic...

http://www.voodooshop.com/

I'll be in New Orleans next month. Still no magic shop in such a large city?

There hasn't been a magic shop within hours of the city for at least 10 years.

Hi all--just bumping this in hopes of an update; I'm headed to NOLA today for a few days. Any non-voodoo magic happenings in the area? Thanks, Jay