A year-round Carnival
Barry Kern, Blaine Kern, and their business partner, Joe Jaeger
Painting Mardi Gras giantsAt Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World, visitors can have a slice of king cake, try on a Carnival costume and take a studio tour that lets them view artists at work on parade floats. CEO Barry Kern says the business his father founded in 1947 does about $20 million a year in sales.
In January 2009, the company moved its main operations from the west bank of the Mississippi River to a 400,000-square-foot complex next to New Orleans' convention center. The new digs offer event space, a ballroom and a recreated antebellum mansion complete with stately oak trees.
The company sends parade floats to pick up tour groups from their hotels, and chartered paddlewheel boats full of partygoers can pull right up to an onsite dock.
NEXT: King cakes by the ton
LAST UPDATE: Feb 11 2010 | 3:01 PM ET
More Galleries
Bricks that grow from microorganisms, household garbage turned into art, three-wheeled bike-cars -- these startups are redefining urban living. More
These five entrepreneurs took their blue collar experience and used it to launch innovative businesses. More
Whether curating the perfect gift or finding a pet-sitter, these startups offer time-saving services that might just seem like holiday magic. More
Sponsors
