The 17 Coolest Small Businesses In New Orleans

With New Orleans in full celebration mode for Mardi Gras, the nonstop party that started as a purging of hedonistic behavior before the Christian season of Lent, it's a good time to celebrate the small businesses that have helped the Big Easy rebound.

The city's economy took a big hit after Hurricane Katrina devastated the cityscape in 2005, but it has since rebuilt and reinvented itself.

Whether it's an established restaurant or a budding tech startup, here are some of New Orlean's coolest small businesses.