Comeback Trail
Signposts on the road to normalcy Magazine, street of dreams, reawakens
By KAREN SOMMER SHALETT

October 15, 2005

For shoppers, one of the many storm-tarnished gems in New Orleans' crown is poised to shine again. Everyone is invited to head to Magazine Street today with brooms, rakes and garden clippers in hand to participate in a volunteer cleanup effort.

The cleanup crew will gather first at Napoleon Avenue and Magazine at 9 a.m. before dispersing throughout a six-mile stretch of the shopping mecca. In conjunction with the effort, several boutiques and spas have readied themselves to throw open their doors today, if they hadn't already.

For instance:

Weinsteins (4011 Magazine St.), Filly (5418 Magazine St.), Trashy Diva (2048 Magazine St.), Winky's (2038 Magazine St.) and Metro Three (2032 Magazine St.) will be offering everything from haute couture to cheeky T-shirts reading "Nagin for President."

Neophobia (2022 Magazine St.), Talebloo Antiques (2015 Magazine St.), Melange Sterling Silver (, Retro-Active (5418 Magazine St.), Hugh Martin Home (4222 Magazine St., #A) and Plum (5430 Magazine St.) have both functional and quirky home furnishings in stock.

Aidan Gill (2026 Magazine St.) is open for shaves, haircuts and single malt scotches, while Belladonna has a limited menu of manicures, pedicures, facials and massages, as well as Halloween decor mixed in with its still burgeoning housewares department. The spa Charlotte Williamson has opened its doors, too.

Savvy Gourmet (4519 Magazine St.) is hosting Saturday night open houses at which shoppers can find any number of cool cooking gadgets. Scriptura (5423 Magazine St.) and Stationer of New Orleans (3947 Magazine St.) will be open as well with their selections of stationery and accessories.

Once the street has been brought back to its original patina, expect even more retailers to join the mix. Bryan Batt of Hazelnut's (5515 Magazine St.) is organizing a Nov. 5 grand opening of the street, hoping that by then, "open for business" signs will have replaced wooden storm boards on every block.