New Orleans has a deep-rooted love affair with the past. The city’s architecture, music, and culture all celebrate what came before, so it makes sense that antique shopping here feels less like browsing and more like treasure hunting through centuries of history.
Whether you’re after French chandeliers, Civil War memorabilia, or vintage Mardi Gras beads, the Big Easy delivers. The city’s antique scene is concentrated in two main areas: Royal Street in the French Quarter and Magazine Street in the Garden District.
Here is a list of 20 antique shops that showcase the best of what New Orleans has to offer.
M.S. Rau Antiques
M.S. Rau has been on Royal Street since 1912, and entering this store is like walking into a museum whose exhibits are for sale. The store occupies several floors and deals exclusively with top-quality items, including, in addition to rare jewels, fine art, and historical artifacts.
You can see a Fabergé egg next to a signed Picasso, and in fact, the personnel are well-versed in the origins of each piece in the whole building.
Keil’s Antiques
Keil’s has been operating on Royal Street since 1899, making it one of the oldest continuously running antique shops in America. The three-story building is packed with French and English furniture, Baccarat crystal, and an impressive collection of chandeliers that could light up a palace.
It’s family-owned and the kind of place where serious collectors go when they need something specific and authentic.
Moss Antiques
Moss Antiques, situated on Royal Street, specializes mostly in American antiques and estate jewelry. The store has an impressive range of Southern furniture and decorative arts that showcase the region’s past.
They have a wide variety of estate jewelry that comprises items from various periods, and the trained personnel can guide you about the exact time and place of manufacturing for each piece.
French Antique Shop
This Royal Street establishment specializes in authentic French pieces from the 18th and 19th centuries. The shop features furniture, mirrors, lighting fixtures, and decorative objects imported directly from France.
Walking through here feels like browsing a Parisian flea market without the jet lag.
Lucullus Antiques
Lucullus takes a unique angle by focusing entirely on culinary antiques. The shop on Chartres Street houses antique kitchen equipment, dinnerware, cookbooks, and food-related art from Europe and America.
Chefs and food historians regularly visit to find vintage copper pots, rare serving pieces, and 18th-century kitchen tools that actually got used.
James H. Cohen & Sons
This family business has operated since 1898 and specializes in antique weapons, coins, and currency. The shop on Royal Street features Civil War artifacts, rare firearms, and historical documents that tell stories of American history.
Cohen’s is where museums and collectors go for authenticated pieces with documented backgrounds.
David’s Antiques and Jewelry
David’s on Magazine Street combines fine antiques with estate jewelry, making browsing feel effortless. The shop carries French and English furniture alongside vintage jewelry pieces from different decades.
It’s smaller than some of the Royal Street giants but packed with quality items at various price points.
Magazine Antique Mall
This isn’t a single shop but rather a collection of multiple dealers under one roof on Magazine Street. The mall format means you get exposure to dozens of different specialties in one visit, from mid-century modern furniture to vintage clothing and collectibles.
Prices vary wildly depending on which dealer you’re browsing, making it a good spot for both serious collectors and casual shoppers.
Floor 13
Floor 13 on Magazine Street brings a more eclectic and quirky vibe to the antique scene. The shop mixes vintage furniture with oddities, taxidermy, and unusual decorative pieces that lean toward the macabre and mysterious.
It’s the place where you can find a Victorian medical cabinet next to vintage carnival posters.
British Antiques
Located on Magazine Street, British Antiques does exactly what the name suggests. The shop imports furniture, lighting, and decorative objects from England, with a focus on pieces from the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian periods.
They also carry a good selection of antique garden ornaments and architectural elements.
Mac Maison
Mac Maison on Magazine Street specializes in French and European antiques with an emphasis on furniture and decorative arts. The shop has a reputation for carrying pieces that work well in contemporary homes rather than just museum-quality collector items.
Their selection changes frequently as items get shipped in from Europe.
Merchant House
Merchant House focuses on industrial and architectural antiques salvaged from old buildings and factories. The Magazine Street shop carries everything from vintage factory carts to reclaimed wood, antique signs, and metal fixtures.
It’s become popular with interior designers looking for statement pieces with character.
Wirthmore Antiques
Wirthmore on Magazine Street has built its reputation on American and European furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries. The shop also carries chandeliers, mirrors, and decorative accessories that complement their furniture selection.
The owner has an eye for pieces that blend well with modern interiors while maintaining their historical integrity.
As You Like It Silver Shop
This Magazine Street shop does one thing exceptionally well: sterling silver and silverplate. As You Like It has been operating since 1969 and carries an enormous inventory of flatware patterns, serving pieces, and hollowware.
They can help you complete discontinued patterns or find specific pieces from major silver manufacturers.
Bush Antiques
Bush Antiques, after more than 40 years at its location on Magazine Street, finally shut its doors in 2012, but nevertheless had such a huge impact that city dwellers still bring it up when talking about the antique history of New Orleans. The store was a hub for fine English and Continental furniture and played a big part in making Magazine Street an important place for antiques.
Its heritage left a mark on many of the later stores.
La Belle Nouvelle Orleans
La Belle Nouvelle Orleans on Magazine Street takes a feminine approach to antiques, focusing on French and European decorative pieces. The shop carries furniture, lighting, mirrors, and accessories with an emphasis on pieces that feel romantic and elegant rather than imposing.
Their inventory skews toward items that work in residential settings.
Aux Belles Choses
Aux Belles Choses translates to ‘beautiful things,’ and the Magazine Street shop lives up to its name. The boutique-style space features carefully curated French antiques and vintage finds with an emphasis on smaller decorative objects, linens, and home accessories.
It’s less overwhelming than some of the larger shops and appeals to people looking for accent pieces rather than major furniture.
Ricca’s Architectural Sales
Ricca’s specializes in architectural salvage and vintage building materials from demolished structures across the South. The sprawling space includes antique doors, windows, fireplace mantels, columns, and hardware that carry the character of old New Orleans buildings.
Contractors and homeowners doing renovations come here to find period-appropriate materials.
Empire Antiques
Empire Antiques, located on Royal Street, deals in European furniture and decorative arts of the Empire period and later. The store has a selection of items from France, Italy, and other European countries, with a preference for formal furniture and accents.
Their stock combines light fixtures, mirrors, and decorative objects that represent classical European style.
Antiques de Provence
Antiques de Provence specializes in French country antiques and garden accessories. The shop imports rustic furniture, pottery, textiles, and architectural elements from the Provence region of France.
It’s a good destination if you’re after the more casual, lived-in aesthetic of French country style rather than formal palace pieces.
The Legacy Continues
The antique shops of New Orleans have withstood the test of time in the face of hurricanes, economic changes, and shifting preferences because they have not changed their special character. The dealers not only preserve objects but also tell us the stories of the past.
They bridge the craftsmanship of past centuries with modern homes and collections. The antique district of the city still holds one of the most concentrated and diverse in the U.S., presenting everything from museum-worthy masterpieces to whimsical finds that make a house feel like home.
If you are a serious collector or just a casual browser on a Saturday afternoon, these stores will convince you that the old things have never really gone out of style.
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