MS Rau Antiques

This place is still amazing and without a doubt the nicest antiques store ever. I always make a point to stop here if I’m passing through New Orleans. The inside is huge and seems to be continuously expanding and now has multiple levels. The inventory changes quite quickly too. Silverware, guns, human skulls, fine sculptures, cloisonné, lacquerware, paintings, furniture, you name it. Honestly I can’t even begin to describe how much awesome stuff there is here and the great tragedy is I can’t afford anything. The people there are always quite helpful to everyone, though I presume it’s because they’re well acquainted with the stealthy wealthy, that is, normal to shabbily dressed people with a lot of money, so they take care not to lose potential sales.
The last time I went they had this amazing necklace made out of human teeth. It would’ve been an amazing piece to display in a bathroom. I thought it would’ve made a nice conversation piece. «Oh that? Just a necklace made by Pacific Islanders out of human teeth.»

If you want arrogance in rudeness this is the place for you. I collect antique canes and they have great selection. I dealt with them for years no problem. The person I usually dealt with went on vacation. Tried to make payment with their chief of staff and he insulted me. Then Deborah Choate called and I was told he was fired and it was my fault. Then I was accused of not wanted to really buy the cane so I caused everything.
I had no idea of my importance.

Okay, I admit I didn’t shop here but if I had a serious lucky street at competition strip poker… I’d take my winnings here and blow it on cool, cool antiques.
By the way, all of Royal Street is fantastic for antiques and window shopping and dreaming and photo ops.

Yeah, this is the kind of place that I will shop one day when I am a multi-​millionaire.
Everything here is incredible and gorgeous. Not only that, but I happen to know the person who photographs all of this good stuff for the sale catalog, so I get to see all these wonderful things up close on instagram every now and then.
This is a fantastic antique shop that sells fancy, intricate clocks, gorgeous furniture and even statues. All of it looks like it belongs in one of those mansions on St. Charles Avenue.
Even if the stuff is out of your price range, it’s worth stopping in and seeing what they have because everything here is just gorgeous and perfect.

Lyndon Lassiter and Bill Rau are top-​notch. Enjoyed my business dealings with them and love, love, love my purchase. Have never visited their store, but enjoy receiving their catalogs and visiting their booths at shows in the Los Angeles area.

Great first time experience with Rau Antiques. I made a purchase of a beautiful item and had it mailed to me. Everything went as well as it could have. Susan Lepene was very helpful and professional.

It’s like going to a museum but being able to touch the goods. Staff is attentive and will take their time to share specifics about the exquisite pieces here. If you are an antiquer at any level, this is a must-​do: best collection of antiques I’ve seen in the US.

Very knowledgeable staff! heaven on earth if you love antiques. BEWARE your bank account could suffer. Incredible pieces .A must see if in Nola!

Attention: you’ve hit the motherload of magnificence here.
You know how it is, when you’re at a museum and you’re kind of like, speechless? Only all of this stuff at MS Rau’s is *for sale.* And there’s just enough to fill the Frick, at the very least. I think I was more immersed in the wonder of that than I could fully appreciate the sheer magnitude of the utterly priceless merchandise coming at me from every angle.
(side note: if there’s actually a «Ms» Rau, then I imagine her to be very similar to the eccentric Luisa Casati, Man Ray muse and Countessa).
So, words, they kind of fail me here. Do you know how often it is that I’m rendered speechless? Surely you can imagine that it’s rare.
Why not play a little make believe here, why don’t we? A virtual shopping trip that goes something like this:
Gee, there’s an entire case of walking sticks there, some of which are actual weapons so you pull some Jack the Ripper shit on someone’s ass. I’ll take one of those! Preferably with a non-​ivory handle, because that would be just wrong.
That giant bear skeleton would look SO Fabulous in my library.
Speaking of my library, I’ll take a dozen or so of those first edition books that are over there. Really, any would do.
That million dollar bed that was made for King uh (?) of France is just what I was looking for and since it was made a couple hundred years ago, I don’t have to worry that it’s an *actual King-​sized bed… so it’ll fit in my small bedroom quite well.
And a snuff box. I need one of those.
Holy shit, is that a LEECH jar? *WANT*
And some of those Rembrandt sketches, why not. Would go great above that chair straight outta Versailles.
You get the picture. This store is likely out of your league, too, but you can go and indulge in some imaginings…

Incredible antique store. A must visit,

Wonderful place. Huge doesn’t even begin to describe it. A lovely man named James showed us all around, even the ice-​house across the street. He was a font of knowledge about everything we saw in the store. A must-​stop destination for your trip to New Orleans!

If I won the lottery today, then tomorrow I would be on a flight to New Orleans to go pick something out at MS Rau. I’m not sure what I would purchase because there are many things to choose from. Their furniture selection is fantastic. I also love their many boxes of Tiffany silverware… by boxes, I mean specially constructed trunks to hold many settings of silverware. There’s always the Paul Revere silver selection, although, I am more partial to Paul Storr. In all honesty, because I’m just weird, I would probably purchase a leech jar or a vampire killing kit. Or maybe just something sparkly from their jewelry selection. Anyways, you want to see amazing antiques… go here. If you have the checkbook to purchase something… I envy you.

WOW are the three letters for this place. The most incredible store i’ve ever been to and I use to work for a billionare and see incredible things, but not like this place.
Intelligent and very nice staff. Walked in with a friend from out of town and Susan started showing us all the great jewelry they had. She was so nice and enjoyed sharing her knowledge with us. I appreciate nice furniture and this place could register all their pieces in a museum. MUST visit while in NO!

While this place may have nice furnishings and products, THEY ARE A HORRIBLE Company in the French Quarter…
They have the resident’s vehicles towed that are around them at the drop of a hat and after it is towed, then they put up a sign stating no parking.
Their construction going on breaks New Orleans Noise Ordinances. The employees are rude and disrespectful and pretty much accuse you of things when you hadn’t done anything to them.
Spoke to a few other residents in the area, and they had complains regarding MS RAU as well.
For a company to be disrespectful and ugly toward people that live right above them is not very smart…
What is the old saying… Treat thy NEIGHBOR how you want to be treated!
I guess no one taught this company manners and morals.
THINK TWICE before you do business with these people, there are much BETTER shops on Royal Street than this place!!!

There are so many incredible things in this store, I really don’t even know where to start. The sales people were so kind, and more than willing to answer any questions about any of the pieces, especially Ludovic.
My husband and I love antiques, because unlike new furniture, antiques hide a story. I like wondering what kinds of life someone or something has witnessed. So if you’re like me, this place will blow your mind. Sure you can go to a museum and see really old furniture, but there they have a little placard with some series of dates and facts, blah blah… not to mention, you can never dream of owning it. But here, you can sit at a table, or dream of owning an armoire that has overheard things like: Did you hear the colonist threw three shiploads of tea into Boston Harbor last night! Darling, I will soon be leaving to fight with George Washington and the Continental Army. Where is my musket? Did you polish my boot buckles? President Lincoln has been shot, they are almost certain he will die. Have you heard that the worlds fair will be in St. Louis?
If that kind of thing is appealing to you in the least bit, then this store is so very worth a visit. I couldn’t afford a thing in it — but that didn’t even matter. However, if you are in a position to buy, and you’re looking for a piece of furniture that speaks of more than a factory in Japan, Rau Antiques should be your first stop.

To be clear, I can afford nothing (nothing!) at M.S. Rau Antiques, and I think it was pretty obvious to the sales people, however, they were so nice and helpful to us, particularly Ludovic. He spent a lot of time with us showing us why the antiques are so special and even playing the music boxes for us. And the antiques ARE special. They are like nothing I have ever seen before (outside of a museum). Extraordinary artifacts of Paul Revere, George Washington, and royalty as well. I was particularly struck by a beautiful cabinet that contained an entire collection of butterfly specimens from the 1800s. I never would have noticed it had it not been for Ludovic. He made us see why someone would spend a fortune on a piece of furniture.
I may not have loved antiques before I stepped foot in M.S. Rau, but I certainly see the appeal now.
Whether or not you can afford to shop there, it is truly an eye-​opening experience and an education, and I will be going back next time I visit the French Quarter. And I’ll certainly be going back if the day ever comes that I can visit as a potential customer.

If you really love antiques, especially those from 18^th and 19^th century Europe, walking in here is a bit of a religious experience. You will be amazed as you walk by row after row of items that are as beautiful as the day they were created. If you are a fan of vintage Tiffany silver and glass, this is definitely your place. Also, if you are in need of suitable furnishings for your new château, ditto. You will definitely wonder why the Katrina looters opted for electronics stores rather than places like this, but perhaps it is a matter of taste. Unless you are old or can flash an AMEX Centurion card, expect to be ignored — but can you blame them? How many people have $ 80,000 just waiting to be spent on an armoire (albeit a very beautiful, 18^th century gilded one)?

I love shopping at M.S. Rau Antiques. Their jewelry selection is wonderful. Their staff are attentive without being pushy. If you are looking for rare, one of a kind diamonds, don’t miss looking here.

Walking in here was like walking into a historical museum. Buyers for the store travel all over the world to estate sales buying only the best collections. You will be amazed at the things they have to sell. Just don’t touch anything, if it breaks, you’ll have to sell your home to pay for it.