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From the archives: It’s raining beads at this local Mardi Gras supply store

For the staff at Parties Start Here, the start of winter signifies the days getting longer. As Mardi Gras approaches, the party store stays open late, sometimes until 7 p.m., so krewes can stop by and pick out throws at the end of the workday.

The krewes somehow manage to turn even shopping into a party. It’s the first time many of the members will meet each other, so they’ll bring drinks and swap stories as they walk the aisles, selecting metallic beads, light-up footballs and life-size stuffed animals.

The store supplies Mardi Gras revelers from all over the South with goods, drawing customers from as nearby as Lafayette and New Orleans and as far as Shreveport, Alexandria, Galveston and Mobile.

Read on for the full story on how the biggest Mardi Gras supplier in the city gets ready for the season.

Click here for our full cover story from February 2017, all about Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge.