On the last day of my family’s pre-Christmas trip to New Orleans (see earlier post), we left our hotel in the French Quarter on Christmas Eve morning by way of Magazine Street in search of Hazelnut Fine Gifts and Home Furnishings. My mom has a way of scouting out special places and this was one she had read about in the newspaper.
For block after intriguing block we drove down Magazine Street to reach our destination. Utterly seduced by this stylish and eclectic “uptown” area, I wished we had another entire day to spend perusing the boutiques, gift shops, coffee shops and neighboring residential areas.
But, though we only made one stop, Hazelnut did not disappoint. While there is nothing particularly vegan about this intimate up-market gift shop, I still wanted to share it as a potential destination if your travel plans take you to NOLA. Its beautiful blend of carefully chosen and displayed items makes for an enjoyable browse from which you are sure not to emerge empty-handed.
Hazelnut’s exclusive New Orleans-themed toile is reason alone to visit. But I couldn’t resist a set of Moroccan-mod coasters for my dear friend and entertainer extraordinaire, Yvette, and a sparkly alligator ornament for Pat and Lavon Myrick and family, friends we were stopping to see in Mandeville, LA, as we headed east to MS. (The complimentary gift wrap was almost as eye-catching as the gifts themselves.)
Though the ornament was a little silly I guess, I thought of it like the dill pickle ornament tradition, as it looked–from a distance–remarkably dill pickle-like. Legend has it that German parents hid a glass dill pickle ornament to reward the most observant child, for whoever first spotted the ornament received an extra gift from St. Nicholas on Christmas morning. However that legend is in dispute. Read about it here.
Regardless, be sure to visit Hazelnut, where four-legged visitors seem every bit as welcome as their two-legged companions.
Photo Credit: Hazelnut website (press photos)
