Chris Owens fans wait in line to peruse her estate sale at the Occasional Wife store in New Orleans, Friday, June 17, 2022. The Bourbon Street legend Chris Owens died in April at the age of 89. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
A selection of art and objects from the estate of the late entertainer Chris Owens -- including this photo of Owens at the height of the Latin dance craze -- will be auctioned by Neal Auction Company on Thursday, Aug. 11, starting at 11 a.m.
A selection of art and objects from the estate of the late entertainer Chris Owens -- including several of her signature Easter hats and gowns -- will be auctioned by Neal Auction Company on Thursday, Aug. 11, starting at 11 a.m.
A selection of treasures from the estate of the late New Orleans entertainer Chris Owens -- including life-size cutouts -- will be on sale at the OW Home estate sale store from August 12-14.
A selection of art and objects from the estate of the late entertainer Chris Owens -- including this photo of Owens with Muhammad Ali -- will be auctioned by Neal Auction Company on Thursday, Aug. 11, starting at 11 a.m.
A selection of treasures from the estate of the late New Orleans entertainer Chris Owens -- including her bed -- will be on sale at the OW Home estate sale store from August 12-14.
A selection of treasures from the estate of the late New Orleans entertainer Chris Owens -- including a life-sized photo that once hung outside her Bourbon Street club -- will be on sale at the OW Home estate sale store from August 12-14.
Shoppers show off what they bought during the Chris Owens estate sale at the Occasional Wife store in New Orleans, Friday, June 17, 2022. The Bourbon Street legend Chris Owens died in April at the age of 89. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Hannah Joffray, who was first in line to enter the store, leaves with a pink fur and matching wrist warmers during the Chris Owens estate sale at the Occasional Wife store in New Orleans, Friday, June 17, 2022. The Bourbon Street legend Chris Owens died in April at the age of 89. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Chris Owens entertains a 1974 audience in her Bourbon Street nightclub.
Chris Owens fans wait in line to peruse her estate sale at the Occasional Wife store in New Orleans, Friday, June 17, 2022. The Bourbon Street legend Chris Owens died in April at the age of 89. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
A selection of treasures from the estate of the late New Orleans entertainer Chris Owens -- including life-size cutouts -- will be on sale at the OW Home estate sale store from August 12-14.
A selection of art and objects from the estate of the late entertainer Chris Owens -- including this photo of Owens with Muhammad Ali -- will be auctioned by Neal Auction Company on Thursday, Aug. 11, starting at 11 a.m.
A selection of treasures from the estate of the late New Orleans entertainer Chris Owens -- including a life-sized photo that once hung outside her Bourbon Street club -- will be on sale at the OW Home estate sale store from August 12-14.
Shoppers show off what they bought during the Chris Owens estate sale at the Occasional Wife store in New Orleans, Friday, June 17, 2022. The Bourbon Street legend Chris Owens died in April at the age of 89. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Hannah Joffray, who was first in line to enter the store, leaves with a pink fur and matching wrist warmers during the Chris Owens estate sale at the Occasional Wife store in New Orleans, Friday, June 17, 2022. The Bourbon Street legend Chris Owens died in April at the age of 89. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Entertainer Chris Owens died in April after a 65-year career entertaining visitors to her Bourbon Street nightclub. In June, The OW Home estate sale store and Neal Auction Company held sales that allowed fans to purchase mementos from the fallen star’s estate.
This week, the estate sale store and auction house are putting more Owensabilia on the market. And this time the selection seems even choicer.
Starting Friday, most of the contents of Owens 500 Bourbon Street club and a few more household items will be available for direct purchase at The Occasional Wife’s OW Home store at 2850 Magazine St.
Cushiony crescent-shaped bar seats, monogrammed tables, myriad posters, a life-size photo long-displayed outside the club, speakers, lights and other furniture and equipment will be among the offerings.
Veronica Cross, director of estate sales at The Occasional Wife, says all sales are first come first served, and she won’t be surprised if “some fur flies” when true Owens devotees behold the light-up go-go dance cube.
A selection of treasures from the estate of the late New Orleans entertainer Chris Owens -- including her bed -- will be on sale at the OW Home estate sale store from August 12-14.
Most alluring of all will be the Queen of Bourbon Street’s bed, with its ivory and pale puce covers, pillows, and scalloped skirt.
Cross said that the sale will take place Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. During the sale, Cross, who has a second career as a DJ, will play selections of the mid-century Latin dance music that Owens most loved. Shoppers will be offered complementary mimosa cocktails (some served in glassware from Owens’ collection) as they peruse the offersings.
“The idea is to get someone liquored-up, so they buy something big,” Cross said, laughing.
The price tag on Owens’ bed will be $750, her microphone will also be listed for $750. The huge, faded photo will be priced at $950, the monogrammed sound booth case, $650.
The June sale at the Occasional Wife that featured Owens’ household items, from modestly priced coffee tables to salt shakers, drew a crowd of fans, some of whom arrived hours early to be the first shoppers.
Neal Auction Company’s June sale included a selection of Owens’ costume jewelry, belts made from real coins, and other keepsakes. Her belt composed of vintage $20 gold coins sold for nearly $40,000.
The second auction includes a selection of the flamboyant, custom-designed dresses and hats that the dancer/singer wore in her annual Easter Parade in the French Quarter. Bidders will also have a chance to buy Owens’ scarlet-dyed arctic fox fur ensemble, her flower-pattern leather jacket and pants set and a strand of pearls with a purple stone pendant.
A selection of art and objects from the estate of the late entertainer Chris Owens -- including several of her signature Easter hats and gowns -- will be auctioned by Neal Auction Company on Thursday, Aug. 11, starting at 11 a.m.
The 65-lot sale also includes several furnishings and home decorations, such as the set of Hollywood Regency-style bar stools, a mirror-trimmed nightstand and dresser set with faux alligator skin tops, several painted portraits of Owens, a pair of standing conga drums and a photo of Owens with Muhammad Ali.
The online sale starts at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11. Neal Auction spokesperson Polly Rolman-Smith points out that the Owens objects are part of a much larger all-day auction. But she cautions that they will be on the block first, so interested shoppers must log onto the sale early or miss their chance.
Owens' Easter outfits are expected to fetch between $200 and $500, her hats (purchased at Fleur de Paris on Royal Street) may bring $200 to $300, the congas may go for $150.
A selection of art and objects from the estate of the late entertainer Chris Owens -- including this photo of Owens at the height of the Latin dance craze -- will be auctioned by Neal Auction Company on Thursday, Aug. 11, starting at 11 a.m.
The future Crescent City icon was born Christine Shaw, in 1932. Her childhood on a cattle ranch in west Texas would not have predicted the glamorous showbiz career that followed. After resettling in New Orleans and finding work in a dentist’s office, she married Sol Owens, a larger-than-life New Orleans automobile mogul.
The couple shared a love for Latin dance. So much so that in 1956, the couple opened a Vieux Carre nightclub where Chris became the headliner. For the next six decades she danced, sang and cavorted with locals and tourists, becoming a Crescent City icon in the era of Al Hirt and Pete Fountain.
Though sex-appeal was certainly an important part of her performances, she was quick to point out that she’d risen to stardom with an act that “didn't include taking all my clothes off."
As the years went on, the seemingly eternal Owens became a beloved touchstone of the Vieux Carre's past. She regularly appeared at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 1987 she also became the namesake of the annual Easter parade. Owens never officially announced her retirement, though the coronavirus pandemic made public appearances almost impossible.
She died at home of a heart attack at age 89.
Chris Owens entertains a 1974 audience in her Bourbon Street nightclub.
Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com. Follow him on Instagram at dougmaccash, on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash.
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