An Ode to the Indie Bookstore

For me, there’s just nothing like a visit to my local independent bookstore. The sights. The smells. The sounds. My fellow bibliophiles around me. That friendly bookseller who knows the authors I love and remembers which titles I’ve already read. We engage in a brief, or not, chat about the books and authors that have us excited. On the counter are notices of upcoming community events, book signings, lectures, and book club meetings. This place is a celebration of the written word, a cornerstone of the community promoting culture, inclusivity, and connection. And I can shop here knowing that an estimated 73% of the dollars I spend will stay within my community. Now, contrast that with ordering a book online or at a big-box bookstore. Each scenario usually ends with a book in my hand. But do they really compare?

With that in mind, here’s a brief introduction to—and celebration of—the folks behind many of the independent booksellers in our area.

Red Stick Reads

Baton Rouge, Louisiana  •  redstickreads.com

Owner James Hyfield

What was the vision behind Red Stick Reads?

I'm a local and for years my favorite place to hang out was Elliot’s Bookstore (in Baton Rouge). I wanted to bring back that feeling… eclectic, smart, and cool. Elliot’s was like a book apothecary and my wife and I share that vision of prescribing stories to people. My wife, Tere, is first-generation Cuban-America with English her second language. She wants our store to be representative of everyone, for anyone to be able to find themselves in a book, on a cover, especially in the children’s books. We’re diligent about providing author diversity and giving authors a place for their books and author events.

What sets Red Stick Reads apart from other booksellers?

We’re the only locally-owned indie bookstore [in Baton Rouge] and we’re boutique by design with a curated selection of books and book-related items chosen with direct feedback from our customers. Twenty-five percent of our inventory is geared toward kids.

Tell us about your regular programming.

We sponsor monthly book clubs for adults and middle-grade readers, story time every Saturday for little kids, often with local authors or guest readers. We also team up with local businesses that cater to kiddos and do events with them. We offer adult book signings and author events. And we team up with Red Stick Spice Co. to offer cooking class/book club events we call "Cook the Book." I also run periodic "Dungeons and Dragons" games in the store.

Recommendations from James and Tere Hyfield:

Historical Fantasy Fiction: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Historic Fiction: Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy

Young Adult Romance: Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton,Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

Kids Picture Books: Mistletoe by Tad Hills

Baldwin & Co.

New Orleans, Louisiana • baldwinandcobooks.com

Manager Elizabeth Dowdy

Can you give us a brief history of your store?

Our store is named after James Baldwin, who was not only a brilliant author, but also a civil rights activist. Encompassing his legacy, we ensure that approximately 80% of our books are from BIPOC authors, so that we can help promote their books which may not be stocked in other bookstores.

What sets Baldwin & Co. apart?

We’re the only bookstore in New Orleans offering mostly authors of color. We’re also a coffee shop with a wide selection of curated coffee, tea, and pastries from local New Orleans companies—offering a quiet place to work, study, or meet with friends. This has helped us build a community of regulars who come in for coffee daily. We also have a podcast studio that can be rented out as a meeting space, or for podcast recordings.

Tell us about your regular programming.

Every month we host a story time where families can enjoy a children's book reading, after which we give the children a free copy of one of the books to help grow their home library. We also host regular author events for the community.

Recommendations from Elizabeth Dowdy

Fiction: Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

Poetry: Remember Love by Cleo Wade

Non-fiction: Finding Me by Viola Davis

Childrens: Magnolia Flower by Zora Neal Hurston

[Read about contributor and book reviewer Chris Turner-Neal's favorites local books of 2022, here.]

Lemuria Books

Jackson, Mississippi • lemuriabooks.com

Owner John Evans

Can you give us a brief history of your store?

The name, Lemuria, refers to a mythical civilization that existed before Atlantis. When we opened in 1975, we were very interested in alternative lifestyles—counter cultural, metaphysical, and mythological existence. As a literary bookstore, we were able to represent the local culture while bringing the national culture into our town and developing relationships with local authors. Eventually authors came to us. By the ‘90s John Grisham and others started coming here and we began putting Mississippi on the literary map.

How does Lemuria represent this region's cultural character?

I’ve been a bookseller all these years in a neighborhood I rode my bike through as a kid. My goal is to give my community the best bookstore I can. I’ve been lucky enough to call authors like Eudora Welty and Walker Percy friends. Those friendships helped us develop ‘a sense of place’ as Miss Welty would say. It’s all about trying to create a literary presence in your community, to make writers come alive in the store.

What sets Lemuria apart?

Every bookstore strives to have its own unique inventory. The books that are in it should represent the booksellers themselves and the breadth of their readership and understanding with distinct representation of their brand. Hopefully, when you come in our store and browse, you feel the difference and know us by the books we share and the authors we choose to work with.

Recommendations from John Evans

Fiction: The Oceans and the Stars by Mark Helpern

Children’s Book: Oh, Olive by author/illustrator Lian Cho

Beausoleil Books & Whisper Room

Lafayette, Louisiana • beausoleilbooks.com

Manager of Culture & Procurement Bryan Dupree

How does Beausoleil Books represent this region's cultural character?

Beausoleil Books is the first independent bookstore in downtown Lafayette since the 1970s, selling new and used books as well as gifts, art, stickers, and more. We consider ourselves much more than a store. We host an array of events and cultural programming throughout the year such as local and national author book signings and releases, mental health talks, poetry nights, pride events, trivia nights, wine tastings, private book-club meetings, and more.

What sets Beausoleil Books apart?

We were Louisiana's first bookstore bar. The bar offers seasonal cocktails and often specialty cocktails for different book releases or author visits. We’re also the only bilingual English-French bookstore in the state with French-language books for readers of all ages. We have books in French published by Louisiana authors (anthologies, fiction, poetry, non-fiction) as well as books by Francophone authors from all over the world—from classics to new releases.

Tell us about your regular programming.

Our regular programming includes the "Book du Mois" monthly book club meeting, our Thursday Night Reading Series—which is a monthly meeting of ULL writing students, a monthly meeting of the Acadiana Scribes in The Whisper Room, and "Pour It & Poet," a monthly poetry open mic for featured poets and locals.

Recommendations from Bryan Dupree

The hottest book of the year for us is Healing Traditions of South Louisiana by Mary Broussard Perrin and Beverly Constantine Fuselier. This book is quickly becoming a staple of the South Louisiana bookshelf.

If your child is taking French or in French immersion, we have a great selection of books for them such as L'ogre de la librairie.

The Conundrum Bookshop

St. Francisville, Louisiana •  conundrumbooks.com

Owner Missy Couhig

Can you give us a brief history of your store?

Our bookstore was born in 2015 as a result of a habit my husband and I have of visiting the local bookstore wherever we travel, always discussing how, one day, I’d retire and open a bookstore in St. Francisville.

How does the Conundrum represent this region's cultural character?

We have a strong emphasis on Southern literature—both classic and current—but we also stock the latest bestsellers and a healthy dose of gardening, cooking, and children’s books, many with a regional theme.

What sets The Conundrum apart?

The day we were asked to close our doors due to COVID, I began a daily blog called "Chatting Books Online," a daily internet feed that’s now lasted over three years. I feature a book each day, Monday through Saturday, ranging through all genres. Customers can message us to hold a copy in store for them or have it shipped.

We also host book-club retreats where folks who follow us on social media can book lunch at a St. Francisville restaurant, tour around town a bit, and schedule a bookstore visit where we greet them with refreshments and I give them a presentation on new books, great classics, good books for gifting, etc. We’ll even bring in a local or regional author for a private book signing.

Do you offer any regular programming?

We do regular readings and book signings, and we help host literary festivals. We also "pop-up" at literary festivals, gardening events, and markets.

Recommendations from Missy Couhig

Fiction: Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Children: St. Francisville astronaut Hayley Arceneaux has adapted her memoir Wild Ride for young readers, telling her tale of going from "Cancer Kid" to astronaut.

The Book and the Bean

Mandeville, Louisiana • thebookandthebean.com

Owner Karrie Mattia

Can you give us a brief history of your store?

We started as an online bookstore and locally-roasted coffee-bean seller and grew to 300+ online affiliates. It was growing so well we decided to open a brick-and-mortar location in an old circa-1874 stained-glass art studio. We still have many of the gorgeous stained-glass pieces on display as well as the original shaker shingles showing inside, and a tin roof on top, making it very cozy. And, of course, there’s Mr. Boots, our stray, adopted-us, shop cat.

How does The Book and the Bean represent this region's cultural character?

We commission with thirty-plus local Louisiana authors, artists, and food suppliers. We try to keep everything local, including using locally-roasted Flamjeaux Coffee.

Tell us about your regular programming.

We have two book clubs per month. The first one is usually a murder/mystery. The second is everything else.

Recommendations by Karrie Mattia

The Gumbeaux Sistahs by Jax Frey

Books Along The Teche

New Iberia, Louisiana  •  booksalongtheteche.com

Owner Howard Kingston

Can you give us a brief history of your store?

We’re the un-official bookstore of author James Lee Burke, who has family in New Iberia and, growing up, spent time with grandparents and cousins here. His character, Dave Robicheaux, a New Iberia Parish Sheriff’s detective, is the star of more than twenty of his novels set in New Iberia. Burke spent winters here and became a true friend of the bookstore.

Tell us about how you interact with the larger literary community.

For eight years, we’ve co-sponsored the annual Books Along The Teche Literary Festival and have welcomed such notable authors as Earnest Gaines, Rebecca Wells, Ken Wells, Lisa Wingate, and Ted Jackson. This year’s featured author is Natalie Baszille, author of Queen Sugar. We also have author workshops and over fifty authors selling their books along Main Street.

What’s sets Books Along The Teche apart ?

We feature a large selection of regional books and Cajun-themed children's books. We specialize in finding rare and out-of-print books for our customers. We welcome all authors to sell their books in our store. (Burke) signs his books for us from his home in Montana, which we ship all over the world. Fans come into the store telling us they came to New Iberia just to see if it’s as beautiful as he described it in his books (and it is).

Blue Cypress

New Orleans, Louisiana •  bluecypressbooks.com

Owner Elizabeth Ahlquist

How does Blue Cypress represent this region's cultural character?

We strive to represent both our New Orleans community at large and our neighborhood, Carrollton, by providing a broad selection of new and second-hand books.

Do you offer any regular programming?

We have a full events calendar with regular events like book clubs, author readings and signings, children's story times, and Book Banter—a virtual author event series.

Recommendations from Elizabeth Ahlquist

Local Nonfiction: Drink like a Local: New Orleans by Cider Mill Press

For Children: Rainbow Rodney by Laura Carroll