A dog-ice-cream truck that built its name in Houma is setting up permanent shop in New Orleans. Salty Paws plans to open its first brick-and-mortar storefront at 3326 Magazine Street, bringing its signature frozen treats indoors alongside grooming services, a self-wash station and dine-in seating built for pets and their owners.
According to WhatNow, the new location will serve the company's signature dog-friendly ice cream in custom doggie bowls, with full table seating so pets can dine right alongside their owners. The Houma truck is known for its treats, and the Magazine Street shop is designed to expand on that concept rather than simply replicate it on a storefront scale.
Grooming, Self-Wash and an Expanded Boutique
Beyond the ice cream counter, the new location will offer dog supplies, an expanded selection of toys and treats, self-wash bathing stations and professional grooming services, per the same report. The shop is currently undergoing renovations and permitting processes, though the specifics of that permitting work have not been detailed publicly.
Jamie Luke, who is described in the WhatNow report as the local Salty Paws franchisee and the sole Salty Paws operator in Louisiana, anticipates finalizing the buildout and securing an official opening date before the holiday shopping season.
Why Magazine Street, and Why Now
Luke chose New Orleans to reach a broader audience, telling WhatNow that the city made more sense than Houma because it is larger, draws far more tourists and has a greater population. The Magazine Street site itself was reportedly selected after Luke observed nearby businesses already welcoming pets into their spaces.
That read on the corridor lines up with how Magazine Street already markets itself to dog owners. The Magazine Street Merchants Association points to Petcetera for treats, clothing, toys, grooming, beds and carriers, while The Bulldog, Dat Dog and Red Dog Diner are flagged as go-to patio spots for owners who want to eat out with their pups. The merchants association also notes Potsalot Pottery as a stop for hand-made water or food bowls, underscoring just how built-out the strip's pet-friendly identity already is.
New Orleans is not short on ice cream spots that tolerate a leashed companion, either. BringFido counts nine pet-friendly ice cream shops across the city that welcome dogs at outdoor tables, including Hansen's Sno-Bliz, which lets dogs join their owners inside while they order, and Cold Stone Creamery and Abbott's Frozen Custard, both of which offer outdoor seating for dog owners. None of those listings, however, establish that any of them combine dog-specific ice cream, grooming and self-wash services the way Salty Paws' planned storefront aims to.
Betting on the Pet-Pampering Boom
Luke frames the expansion as a bet on a broader shift in how people spend on their pets, saying that people love their dogs and are always looking for new ways to spoil them, and that demand for luxury pet care and specialized pampering is growing. Salty Paws itself was founded in the northeast before Luke brought the concept to New Orleans; the truck is based in Houma, Louisiana.
The broader pet industry's numbers at least establish a sizable customer base for that bet. The American Pet Products Association reported that 95 million U.S. households owned a pet in its 2025 National Pet Owners Survey, and the trade group's 2026 State of the Industry Report tracks ownership trends and purchasing behavior that feed into exactly the kind of specialty retail Luke is building toward. On Facebook, the original Salty Paws Houma La page describes itself as the first doggie ice cream truck in Louisiana, a claim that has drawn 370 likes on the platform as Luke works toward turning that mobile concept into a fixed address on Magazine Street.
