Content area
Full Text
Royal Street, long an epicenter of New Orleans' furniture and art trade, is struggling through one of its toughest periods ever, according to some business owners. As a result, retailers with years -- even decades -- of experience along the famed French Quarter strip are considering drastic measures.
After 17 years in business, Chuck Robinson packed up his merchandise and shuttered his store in September. Robinson's Antiques had operated for more than 10 years out of a 7,000-square-foot showroom at 329 Royal St.
Robinson said sales at the store had yet to recover from the blows dealt by hurricanes Katrina and Gustav when the national economy tanked, squeezing the finances of the customer base on which his business depended.
Facing the prospect of extensive renovations to his leased space, Robinson decided to throw in the towel, opting to focus his efforts on his profitable Bourbon Street nightclub that has been subsidizing his antiques operation since Katrina.
Sidney Smith is another Royal Street business owner on the way out. He opened the gallery named for his son, the Justin Robinson Smith Gallery, at 927 Royal St., about a year ago, intending to sell his rock 'n' roll photography and his son's original art.
Smith, who also owns Haunted History Tours, a business he said has been relatively brisk lately, said gallery sales haven't covered rent on the leased space for any month he's been in business. He intended to close the gallery at the end of September but said he is sticking around a while longer under renegotiated terms that offer significantly reduced rent, and only after a series of prospective tenants for the space fell through.