Designtripper

Magazine Street is no hidden secret, but it’s just as lovely as everyone says it is! We spent our first full afternoon in New Orleans–a perfect hot, sunny day–ducking into air-conditioned antique shops, totally amazed by the sheer number of them. One of our favorite stops–La Belle Nouvelle Orleans–shakes up the signature New Orleans look with some really cool, clean-lined industrial pieces. The owner Fernando Promoslovsky (below), who moved to New Orleans 10 years ago after making what was supposed to be a quick detour on his way to Miami from Buenos Aires (“I fell in love with it here and had to stay,” he says), decided to follow in the footsteps of his granddad by opening a store. He heads back to Argentina one or two times a year on buying trips (and to visit family). Out back, through an interior courtyard behind the storefront, there’s a hulking building where Fernando sells large-scale pieces of furniture and anything else that overflows from his shop. But the landlord is selling the building, so he’s currently having a closing sale. I’m admiring a collection of tarnished, old silver plates, platters and serving bowls, and he offers to sell me the entire lot (at least 40 different pieces) for $100 flat. I scoop them up for my friends back in Detroit, who are opening a cafe next month (why not–we have plenty of room in the Lincoln!).

For tons more photos of antique shops in New Orleans, check back regularly at the Lincoln-Designtripper site!

[Disclaimer: Ford Motor Company is the paying sponsor of designtripper's road trip to New Orleans, which also included a Lincoln MKX for the duration of the trip.]

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