A new antique and plant shop opens this weekend in Mid City. Tribe Market will debut during White Light Night, bringing a curated selection of indoor plants, antiques, home decor and unique gifts.
Plaquemine native Rivers Dupree opened his first antique store, Rescued Revisions, in the Denham Springs Antique Village in 2017. It flourished over the years, even expanding into a larger location in 2022. But Dupree had always imagined a venture that aligned more with his personal style. So when a space became available in the Circa 1857 complex, he saw an opportunity to bring that vision to life.
The boutique is situated in an old house, formerly home to retail concepts like Peach Culinary Boutique, The Hope Shop and Sweet Leather Goods. Dupree says the house required extensive renovations, and he worked tirelessly to restore the space to its original beauty. He sanded down layers of paint to uncover century-old hardwood floors. He then painted the walls and ceilings a rich green before styling. After about a month and a half of renovations, Tribe Market was ready to open.
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“I flipped several houses in the past few years,” Dupree says. “And I just love old houses and how they have such character and charm.”
Inside, rustic wood fixtures with gold and brass accents make for a warm, charming backdrop.
“When you walk in the front room, it’s all color-drenched in a dark green color, so it’s very moody and masculine. And then as you walk back, it kind of lightens up,” he says.
Dupree arranges everything as if it were part of a home. He sources antiques and artwork from auctions, estate sales and other antique stores. He curates what appeals to his personal taste. For example, he loves ducks, and he’s sourced pieces that reflect that, like little brass ducks and prints with ducks.
“That’s kind of just my personal look,” Dupree says. “I pick whatever catches my eye.”
In addition to antiques, Tribe Market offers a variety of plants, many of which he says thrive in Louisiana’s humid climate. While some plants are more temperamental, there are also hardy cacti that can be left alone for weeks at a time. Dupree is a self-proclaimed plant lover, with around 30 plants at his own home. His favorite? The fiddle leaf fig, which he proudly sells at the shop.
“When you bring all the plants in, it just gives (a home) that warmth and life,” he says.
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The name Tribe Market has been on Dupree’s mind for two years. During his travels to find antique pieces, he found that the antique community was small but tightly connected.
“Everywhere I go, I either talk to somebody and I realize they know somebody, or I know somebody they know,” Dupree says. “It’s like a little small world in the antique community, and that’s how I kind of came up with the name. It was just like we’re all one tribe of people.”
Tribe Market is at 1857 Government St. It will officially open Friday, Nov. 22, 6-10 p.m., during White Light Night. Afterward, the shop will be open Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more details, find it on Facebook.