New Orleans, Orleans Parish story
A Second Home for Satchmo
Long before he was a global icon, a young Louis Armstrong found a second home at the Karnofsky Shop on South Rampart Street. When Armstrong was just seven years old, the Karnofsky…
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Long before he was a global icon, a young Louis Armstrong found a second home at the Karnofsky Shop on South Rampart Street. When Armstrong was just seven years old, the Karnofsky family hired him to help with their coal and junk business. He didn't just work for them; he ate meals with the family and felt a deep bond with them.
In a moment that changed music history, the Karnofskys even loaned Louis the money to buy his very first cornet. Though Hurricane Ida destroyed the building in 2021, the site remains a sacred spot in the story of jazz, marking the place where a young boy's musical journey was fueled by the kindness of a local family.
Updated June 2026