MAKING
c i g a M
Uptown’s Hazelnut is filled with clever gifts, colorful wares and holiday camaraderie.
GAMBIT DETAILS
DECEMBER 2020
By SHELBY SIMON Photos by JOSHUA BRASTED
16
“Together, we are magic,” says Hazelnut co-owner Katy Danos of co-owners Bryan Batt and Tom Cianfichi. Their store is more than just a business to the trio: it is a creative outlet and a labor of love for their community. Batt and Danos became friends while attending Tulane University. After graduating, both moved to New York City to pursue successful careers in creative fields — Batt in acting, and Danos in design and writing. Batt and Cianfichi met while acting in a show in Akron, Ohio, when they were 26 years old and have been a couple ever since. But New Orleans beckoned them back home, and the friends opened Hazelnut in 2003. “It is a rare thing to work this well with dear friends or a spouse,” says Danos. Their shop offers a colorful experience of wares, including focal pieces for the home, artwork and gifts. Danos describes the products as a blend of elegant, traditional, new and witty, with a focus on cleverness and a sense of humor. 2020 marks the 18th holiday season for Hazelnut, a time which the team — who the co-owners affectionately refer to as “The Nuts” or “Hazelnutters” — looks forward to for the heightened sense of camaraderie. “I’m still like a kid when it comes to Christmas,” Batt says. “I love decorating, celebrating — but my favorite is finding the perfect gift. For me, it truly is better to give than receive.” Batt frequently can be found wrapping gifts in the shop around the holiday season, and at least one of the co-owners can be found in the store at all times. Danos says she hopes customers enjoy visiting the shop in person, stopping to
Owners say they choose a blend of elegant, traditional, new and witty products.
The shop features local flair.
The Christmas season at the shop, they hope, will add cheer to their community.
