I. J. Reilly’s Knick-knacks & Curiosities

I was so happy to happen upon this happening little store by stroke of luck after finishing up a lovely bike tour with the Confederacy of Cruisers.
It reminds me a lot of one of my favorite boutiques, SOPO, in MidCity and they do carry a few of the same local brands, but they both have their unique differences that make both worth a walk-​about.
I.J.‘s has a great range of locally-​made items from soap to bags to bracelets and everything in between. One thing I think that really sets them apart is that they have a handful of great local artists showcasing wall pieces and prints, two of my favorites: Ellen Macomber and Christopher Kirsch.
They also have something for every price range. While I’d love to get one of the Brandi Couvillion’s etched brass cuffs that are hovering between $ 140 and $ 200 (if you’re my SO reading this review, my 30^th birthday is in a month, hint, hint), I opted for a $ 6 bar of locally-​made Sweet Olive Soap titled Storyville. What’s funny is a friend raised an eyebrow when I told her how great this soap is called, «Storyville», and if you know the story behind this red-​light district you might raise your eyebrow too. I mean… who wants to smell like a lady of the night? Well… if the ladies of the night smelled this good, no wonder they were in the biz.$$$. To be clear, the scent is a blend of jasmine, lily, lime and violet with hints of green apple.
I would recommend this store to any tourist in town who really wants to find something uniquely New Orleans to take home, or to any local looking for some unique, locally-​made knick-​knacks and curiosities all under one roof.

Somewhat cute, definitely New Orleans. If Papier Plume mated with a bookstore and gave birth to a flea market baby, this would be it. Living quarters converted to a gift shop, staffed by friendly folks. The business name accurately reflects a lack of commitment to a particular theme or inventory type, which isn’t a bad thing except nothing really tempted me for purchase as a souvenir. (I guess they were low on jewelry/​windchimes/​stained glass mantelpieces.) The bike tours based out of here are worth investigating, though.

This is the most adorable shop and carries some great New Orleans-​centric artwork, jewelry, music, books, and oddities.

Came here for a Unilocal party but ended up purchasing a piece of the art so I wanted to write up a review.
First off the couple that runs this place are cool as all get out and really friendly to boot. Thank you for that. You should support this business for that reason alone. Also, the business is named after one of the coolest cats in literary history: I.J. Reilly.
If you want posters they have them. If you want just a postcard they have them. They have really beautiful jewelry and nice art, books and even music cd’s. Everything here smacks of New Orleans. Great place to find a unique gift for that special someone. The prices are affordable too.
The owners are also affiliated with the next-​door-​bike-​tour company that does tours of the city. I have it bookmarked to come take a tour the next time I’m in town. As a result of this they have great knowledge of the history of New Orleans and other cool stuff so if you are a tourist (or even a local with a taste for understanding your city a bit more) you should pick their brains.

Eccentric & Eclectic Energy on Elysian!
SITREP
Like people, some stores have their own wild personality, and the eclectic character that comes rushing out the front door is because of the wonderful women who run this store.
As they greet you, you will notice they are a very friendly personable lot. And they love to chat with you about the history of the building, their store, the fun neighborhood — and why you should visit it more often even though it is a bit off the path from the French Quarter — and the wonderful variety of items they have for sale.
THE SETUP
This store on Elysian Fields does indeed fall into a unique category of «curiosity shop»: it features the unique, and rare items that you will not find too many other places. Items include:
* odd bars of soap to ward off all sorts of evil
* exquisite and unique pieces of jewelry
* lots of art
* lots clothing items to peruse.
When I was there with a group of my friends, they featured some beautiful jewelry pieces, and my friend Elise picked such a novelty necklace that she adores.
MR. IGNATIUS REILLY
According to Ignatius Reilly, iconoclastic hero in the classic A Confederacy of Dunces, «This city is famous for its gamblers, prostitutes, exhibitionists, anti-​Christs, alcoholics, sodomites, drug addicts, fetishists, onanists, pornographers, frauds, jades, litterbugs, and lesbians, all of whom are only too well protected by graft.»
The spirit of this mantra indeed seems to have grown roots in this store and you can be assured that the spirit of openness that is desired by the above observation is preserved here.
WINE TASTING
One of the special events I attended here feature both local white and red wines, and it was a delicious accompanient to the corn dogs we enjoyed! MMM.
CONFEDERACY OF CRUISERS
This is also the base for the «Confederacy of Cruisers» where some awesome local bike touring starts out. You can enjoy a 3-​hour biking tour and even purchase some cool tees to commemorate the occasion.
THE LOWDOWN
Take a moment to stop by this sweet little store. You may find something that your mom, your sister, your daughter will truly appreciate for it’s thoughtful delicate energy.

Listen up, friends, the literary gods have smiled upon Elysian Fields. The name, one I.J. Reilly, our iconoclastic hero from A Confederacy of Dunces (one of the best books ever written). Not homage nor mirage, but a shop, and don’t expect tomes devoted to the study of Boethius here. They peddle gifts, souvenirs and sundry NOLA-​inspired items.
This store kind of blows my mind, not unlike the man, the myth, the legend himself (but much less gaseous and pompous). It’s got *exactly* the perfectly cool NOLA-​inspired treasures made by, oh yes, *local* artists and crafters. Shadow boxes with birds? Put one on my mantle. Statement piece jewelry? Put that around my neck, baby. And it’s all affordable as hell (I haven’t seen art this affordable anywhere, really). You may even find yourself buying your own gifts. There’s literature, coffee table books, music, soap, sculpture, paintings, folk art, and, and… more that I’m forgetting and/​or haven’t yet seen because they are constantly adding stuff to make this tiny store packed with goodies at every peep and turn. This is a review after one mere visit, and I barely feel like I took it all in.
So, visitors to our fine city I advise you to skip the jenky crap on Decatur or in the French Market and get thee here for gorgeous gifts and swell souvenirs (unless you want an alligator head. Oh and they don’t yet carry *my* carefully crafted bedazzled alligator heads, but I hope they soon will).
Further literary nod, this is also Stella and Stanley’s address in Streetcar Named Desire.