Scattered across 320 acres on the Orleans-Jefferson Parish line, nearly 20 interior design shops have cropped up around Old Jefferson over the past decade.
Now, business leaders hope to capitalize and grow that presence with a new special district for arts, culture and interior design stores.
The Jefferson Parish Economic Development District announced Tuesday the creation of a Design District in Old Jefferson, bound by Monticello Avenue, River Road, Harding Street and the Earhart Expressway.
The district already includes 17 furnishers, homeware suppliers and interior design shops as its members.
300 Jefferson offers 5 different interior-design businesses in the Jefferson Parish Design District in Jefferson, La., Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
The Jefferson Parish Council already approved the new district last month, and will vote at its July 23 meeting whether to make it an economic development district with tax incentives, such as the state’s Restoration Tax Abatement program, which prevents businesses from having to pay additional property taxes on any renovations or expansions for up to 10 years.
Parish officials said the idea for the new district originated from Karin Nelson, owner of the Design Center of New Orleans at 1200 Monticello Ave.
“There are so many talented designers and great design happening in our region, it just made sense,” Nelson said. “If we could create a design district, it would give designers a local shopping destination instead of having to trek to Atlanta or Houston or Dallas to work on our projects.”
Design districts are commonplace in major cities like Dallas and Miami as a means of concentrating art, fashion, culture, shopping and design stores into one walkable area — similar to New Orleans’ Magazine Street and its miles-long stretch of colorful storefronts and popular restaurants.
Jefferson’s “design district” almost exclusively caters to interior design showrooms and homeware suppliers, including NOLA Rugs, Budget Blinds of New Orleans and Shades of Light.
Visitors stand in Design Center New Orleans in Jefferson, La., Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
In addition to the proposed economic development district, JEDCO also launched a dedicated loan fund through its financing arm for businesses seeking to expand in the district.
“We’re excited about the things we can do to drive the further building of this community,” JEDCO Executive Director Jerry Bologna said. “This is just the beginning. This is the naming and the christening of this district, but we are very excited about the path ahead.”
link