Who knew that the most entertaining store in New Orleans would belong to a locksmith?
The H. Rault Locksmiths shop on Magazine Street is part museum, part antique store, and very much a working locksmith. Antique safes and locks, vintage door parts, old bottles and advertising placards, and plenty of other curiosities make for a colorful, inviting clutter. Handwritten signs explain some of the displays and the history of locks and hardware. The history of the business is also told on its walls.
It’s a quite a story: the company was founded by Joseph Rault in 1845 at 515 Bourbon Street and was primarily a blacksmith and gunsmith shop. Son Henri Rault moved the business to Magazine Street in 1886, when the company turned towards locksmithing and operated out of several locations until settling at its present address in 1947. This makes H. Rault Locksmiths the oldest business on Magazine, as well as the second-oldest locksmith in the United States.
The business stayed in the family until 1990, when it was purchased and the building was restored by Jim Miller. It is now owned and managed by his daughter, Michelle Miller, who took over in 2008 after working as a Delta flight attendant for 20 years.
Despite its quirky, vintage character, H. Rault is absolutely an operating locksmith. From making keys to repairing antique locks, selling decorative hardware and high security key systems, everything lock, door, window and shutter-related is sold, restored and/or repaired. Along with the store, the staff of five operates three vans to provide on-site installations and repairs throughout the city.
While a full array of modern devices is available, vintage items are the specialty.
“People buy homes, and they like to keep the original hardware,” Miller observed. “It’s the jewelry of these beautiful old homes. We are so lucky to be in a city that stays true to its character.”
Duplicating old skeleton keys — not just for doors but furniture like desks, chests, armoires and even liquor cabinets — is a unique component of the business. Making these old keys is a challenge, Miller noted, “You have to listen to the key tell you how to make it.”
Miller said that her biggest challenge is simply keeping up with the work.
“The phone makes grown men cry, it rings all day long,” she said. “It’s really hard to keep up with it.”
While people all over the country send items to be repaired, H. Rault is very much a local business.
“We’ve never advertised; we like to be low-key,” punned Miller. “It’s all just word of mouth around the neighborhood. If you don’t know, you don’t know.”
The company has worked on some high-profile projects, like the restoration of the Columns Hotel, and employees spend much of the summer re-keying local college dorms and apartments. But individual customers are the core of the business. The decorative hardware section, added after Hurricane Katrina, is a big draw. Duplicating old and new keys, and repairing antique door fixtures brings in even more people.
“They walk in the store and go, ‘Wait, you know how to do this?’” Miller reported, noting that visitors must pass the “Enter at your own risk” sign on the way in.
Visiting the store is something of a time-travel experience. While contemporary keys can be made on the spot, larger projects involving older items may take longer due to both difficulty and demand.
“We do things when we can get to them,” said Miller with a sigh. “But it’s not a bad thing to be so needed in the community.”
H. Rault Locksmiths
3027 Magazine St. // New Orleans
504-895-5346 // @raults1845
