Massey’s Professional Outfitters is proud to announce the grand opening of their fourth location, in the heart of Katrina-savaged New Orleans.


The store is in a restored 1907 warehouse originally called the Riley Building, a printer and distributor of text books in the early 20th century. The 28,000-square-foot building sat vacant since it was abandoned and flooded under 4 feet of water during Katrina.


Massey’s picked the location based on the need for additional warehouse space and the proximity to New Orleans’ only inner-city recreational areas; Bayou St John and City Park. The newly restored streetcar line, passing directly in front of the store, also was the main priority for office, warehouse, and retail staff. “Our staff can walk less than 100 feet to the streetcar and be in the French Quarter in 10 minutes.” says Eddie Gianelloni, New Orleans store manager.


It is also notable that tourists, not in short supply in New Orleans, can take the same scenic streetcar ride from the French Quarter to the new Massey’s location for a quick gear purchase and on to City Park, the New Orleans Museum of Art, or paddling on Bayou St John. Massey’s will rent boats for use on Bayou St John.


A fringe benefit for the new location is 15,000-square-foot of upstairs warehouse space, accessible by freight elevator.


“New Orleans is a land-locked city and sprawling warehouse space is a poor use of land. Finding the perfect configuration was really fortuitous,” said Bobby Johnson, partner.

The building itself was restored mostly by Massey’s staff members. The goal was not to erase the century-old façade and interior, but to restore it to the original state. After removing almost all of the interior walls and layers of drywall and plaster from the building’s structural interior, the building is left in a state that’s as close to the original state as it has been in 75 years.


“Ninety percent of what we did was restoration. There were virtually zero new materials used in the building. We even built half of the display fixtures in an on-site fabrication/welding shop.” said Mike Massey, 3rd generation owner.

For more information on Massey’s contact Mike Massey at 504-717-9540 or mike.massey@masseys.net.  


Massey’s Professional Outfitters was founded in 1972 and specializes in full service outfitting for all types of adventure travel. Massey’s is based in New Orleans and operates 4 Louisiana locations, each stocked with gear and clothing for skiing, snowboarding, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, backpacking, and world travel. Locations include New Orleans, Metairie, Baton Rouge and Covington.