Educator

Teachers and parents of small children don’t have too many options for educational supplies in SE LA. Either you order in bulk to save money from online catalogues, or you cull from garage sales and the measly single aisles of «Teacher» goods at Barnes&Nobles or the Dollar Tree.
Thank goodness for the Educator, which I say with trepidation. Tucked behind the Toys R Us on Vets, fittingly, this is the original location, I believe (there’s another in Gretna on the West Bank), and it feels much larger than the other, possibly because of the second looming story stacked with child size colorful plastic chairs. They have everything you need, except for when you want it. Calendar squares, glitter, tissue paper (and other crafty things); educational games, books, and posters; some plastic manipulatives, and expensive ABC rugs (those suckas are like $ 500 f’real!)
My biggest complaint is that they are always out of what you need right when you go for it! Examples include: foamy holiday shapes stickers (apparently they don’t carry them at all anymore; a gripe that only my fellow Early Childhood Educators will share, in amazement), Kindergarten math sheets (I ended up purchasing a book from Barnes and Noble), and non-​Carson Dellosa posters. Carson-​Dellosa is that company that makes the posters and characters and worksheets you remember from your elementary school days (oval headed kids with long oval eyes), and they have a ridiculous monopoly over all aspects of educational material. Maybe I just want a regular poster, okay? Maybe I don’t need a pencil with eyes!!! Or an apple with eyes!!!
They also don’t take credit card for purchases under $ 15, which seems needlessly specific.
In any other city I would give this place a 2-​star; however, I honestly haven’t experienced better in New Orleans. Rest assured, however, that if a Lakeshore opens, my allegiance to them has already been won.