The Maison Blanche building on Canal Street. The upper floors housed offices.
1958 addition to the Canal Street Store
Maison Blanche
901 Canal Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
CANAL STREET STORE DIRECTORY (565,000 sq. ft.)
First Floor
Jewelry • Fine Jewelry • Cosmetics • Handbags • Small Leather Goods • Gloves • Hosiery • Hats • Fashion Accessories • Neckwear • First Floor Shoes • Shoes • Blouse Bar • First Floor Sportswear • First Floor Lingerie • Notions • Art Needle • Stationery • Candy • MB Snack Store • MB Bakery • MB Rendezvous Restaurant
Store for Men Men’s Furnishings • Men’s Sportswear • Men’s Clothing • Men’s Shoes • Men’s Hats • London Britches
Second Floor
Ms. MB Dresses • Ms. MB Sportswear • Town and Casual Dresses • Women’s Sportswear • Better Half Shop • Coats and Suits • All-Weather Coats • Shoe Salon • Millinery • Casual Shoes • Dauphine Sportswear • Dauphine Dresses • Forecast Sportswear • Forecast Dresses • Forecast Coats • 901 Shop • Designer’s Shop • Designer’s Shop Shoes • Designer’s Shop Millinery • Audobon Shop • Boutique • Fur Salon • Bridal Salon • Lingerie • Corsets • Loungewear • Sleepwear • At Home Wear • Uniforms
Junior World Junior Dresses • Junior Sportswear • Junior Coats • Junior Shoes • Junior Lingerie • Pace Shop • Teen Shop • Junior V.I.P. Shop
Third Floor
Housewares • China • Silver • Glassware • Gift Shop • Imari Shop • Lamps • Pictures • Toys • Sportsmen’s Center • Major Appliances • Books • Luggage
Fourth Floor
Domestics • Bath Shop • Linens • Curtains • Drapery • Rugs • Floor Covering • Furniture • Sewing Machine Center • Fabrics • Televisions • Home Remodeling
Fifth Floor
Stereos • Records • John Jay Beauty Salon • Merrill Chase Studio • Employment Offices • Offices
Young New Orleans Center Infant’s Wear • Girls’ Wear • Boys’ Wear • Scolar Shop • Toddler’s Wear • Children’s Accessories • Children’s Accessories
MB BRANCH STORES
Carrollton & Tulane Avenues
27,000 sq. ft.
3045 Gentilly Blvd.
37,000 sq. ft.
Crescent Airline Center
1901 Airline Hwy.
68,000 sq. ft.
150,000 sq. ft.
Chief Menteur Hwy. & US Rte. 90
122,000 sq. ft.
Charl-Mont Restaurant
Metairie
155,000 sq. ft.
185,000 sq. ft.
Baton Rouge
160,000 sq. ft.
Thank you for posting pictures of this grand old store. Maison Blanche was an independent store until 1923 when it was purchased by City Stores. City Stores folded in 1982 and only three suburban stores were purchased by Goudchaux's, Inc. of Baton Rouge, Clearview, Lake Forest, and Westside. The Bon Marche store closed in 1980 and the Airline, Carrollton, Gentilly, and Canal Street stores closed in 1982. The Gentilly Woods store closed in 1974 and the store was relocated to Lake Forest. The store on Canal reopened in 1984. The Clearview store never looked like the line art as shown above. It actually looked the the Lake Forest and Bon Marche stores. The two missing stores in the list are the Oakwood and North Shore stores. The Mall of Acadiana store was opened as a Goudchaux's store not as Maison Blanche.
ReplyDeleteMy uncle Bert Kenny was the marketing V.P. for Maison Blanche for many years. He spearheaded some of their most memorable retail coups by organizing special marketing events. I remember most the time he featured products from England. He arranged for daily Posting of the Guard ceremonies in front of the Canal Street store, had "Big Ben" chimes ringing throughout the store at the appropriate times, and customers could ride free on authentic double-decker buses during the promotion. English foods like crumpets were served in the restaurants on site.
ReplyDeleteWhile not all of his ideas panned out, these promotions were memorable.
Uncle Bert was awarded honors from England, France, and Italy for his marketing prowess as each country sold millions of dollars worth of goods from his marketing acumen as revealed in these promotions.
I was priviliged to see the changes at the store as it moved from the segregated early days to the fully-integrated store in its latter days.
Mister Bingle!
ReplyDeleteA giant Mister Bingle hung on the outside of the building during Christmas! My father would drive us down there to see Mister Bingle and the holiday windows! what a memory!
When the Maison Blanche store in Clearview Mall closed, it reopened as a Dillard's, but that didn't last long considering there was another Dillard's at nearby Lakeside Mall. The space was later gutted and is now occupied by a two-story Target.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Clearview store in suit separates while going to college in 1990/91. Stayed in top twenty five a majority of the time. (sales). Still have my badge. At "straight seven" commission we made great money. It was such an elegant store with superior boutique collections inside. The Claborne men's clothing boutique was terrific, and fine furs on floor two with the cream colored grand piano was something special.
ReplyDeleteI need help with something...I have a pair of shoes, ladies heels NICE and GREAT condition, they are from Masion Blanche store. they have hand written number inside. I am trying to find info on them. They were given to me considered "junk" by someone else, BUT not me....Who can help me find some value to these and more info on them?? Thank You..
ReplyDeleteMy great grandfather S James Shwartz founded Maison Blanche. I had a great construction photo that I gave my brother when I moved out west.
ReplyDeleteMy father displayed his 1-100 hand carved replica of St. Peter's in Rome at the store in February, 1953. I have a photo of him with the president of the store, Arch Bishop Rummel and Mayor Morrison.
ReplyDeleteI have in my possession a wooden basket purse hand painted by KAD. Signed (Specially for Godcheux,s) Basket is large weave with stores named and painted all around the bottom.
ReplyDeleteAntoine's, Court of Two Sisters, Roosevelt, Patio, Maedi Gras, A Church with clock on it and Godchaux's. The lid has the name of streets all around it with an elephant on top. Anyone with info, please comment back, Thank You.
This is so fascinating. My ex-mother-in-law worked in the fur salon downtown on Canal Street for nearly 35 years (maybe more) then went to the Clearview store where she retired. She is still around, nearly 91 and as elegant as she ever was. She was a petite woman who wore her hair pulled up in a twist or bun, wore false eyelashes, and dressed like a model. She sold the most fur coats I am sure. I gave her the book about the owners of MB last year for Xmas, and I think she read it every day for six months. She is going to love this site when I show it to her. Her sight is not what it used to be, but lucky her - I just got a 27" monitor for my laptop. She absolutely loved working at MB, it felt like family to her. And to the poster about the pair of shoes - I just made an assemblage piece of art, using an MB shoe - a Spring-a-lator that will be for sale Friday 11/2 at The Healing Center. It is a fantastic shoe - obtained at an estate sale. I will ask my mother-in-law about those numbers.
ReplyDeleteHi Juliette!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating story. God bless your ex-mom-in-law! I hope she enjoys what I have posted here. You may want to subscribe to Genealogy Bank - the whole Times-Picayune and every MB ad is visible there. I assume you are referring to the Arcadia book about MB - if you don't have it, I'd recommend it for her.
Bruce
What was the name of that store in the Carrollton Shopping Center ? It was where Piccadilly was @ before Katrina hit .
ReplyDelete