Monique Duclaux is equal parts business owner and neighborhood advocate.
Duclaux has operated Little Miss Muffin, an eclectic women’s and children’s store at 766 Harrison Avenue in Lakeview, since she purchased the business from her grandmother in 1992. Founded in 1970 as a Hallmark store, and originally located across the street, the shop is a true neighborhood institution.
Duclaux sees shoppers who first came through the door as children now bringing in their own kids. It’s what she says inspires her to create something special.
“We want customers to walk in here and enjoy the full shopping experience,” she said. “Smell the candles, touch the blankets, feel the Lakeview vibe.”
She said a big part of making her shopping experience special lies in carrying a variety of original New Orleans art. Duclaux said the store increased its focus on local artists after Katrina, and those relationships have strengthened ever since.
“The artists become family,” she noted. “They reach out to us and ask what’s the next thing they need to do and what our customers want right now.”
Duclaux also engages with schools in the neighborhood, providing items for auctions, supplies for activities and even hiring area students for jobs like gift-wrapping.
“They learn how to have a conversation with an adult,” she said, “to look people in the eye when they talk to them.”
A few younger employees have even moved on to become long-term employees; many of Little Miss Muffin’s 15-to-20-member staff have worked at the store for more than 20 years.
Duclaux said her work is fed by the love of her neighborhood and the desire to see it reach its full potential — even to see Harrison Avenue achieve national Main Street designation.
“I don’t worry about competition,” she stated. “The more people that want to open a store, open a restaurant, bring enterprise to Lakeview, the better.”
While women’s clothing, jewelry, purses, home décor, original art, cards and stationery, kitchen and dining ware cater to adults, infants to young teenagers are served by a carefully curated collection of children’s books, specialty clothing, toys and games.
The emphasis, in Duclaux’s words, is, “let’s step away from the screen and be creative.”
Ironically, her biggest challenge is online shopping. While Little Miss Muffin has an extensive e-commerce website, it doesn’t leave Duclaux feeling particularly satisfied.
“How can our website recreate that same customer experience people get in the store?” she asked rhetorically. “I work through this every day, trying to give people that same level of service, answering the phone, responding to online messages as soon as I see them, even on a Sunday.”
Still, Duclaux says she prefers the personal connections she makes with in-store patrons. This connectivity extends to the neighborhood, which she promotes constantly.
“I want to do a map of Lakeview, draw locals and tourists both into the stores, the restaurants, the attractions like the Louisiana Children’s Museum and the lakefront,” she said. “Lakeview needs to be a part of the visitor experience. We’re a little city in a big city.”
Little Miss Muffin
766 Harrison Avenue
shoplittlemissmuffin.com // 504-482-8200
IG: @ShopLittleMissMuffin // x: @shopmissmuffin
