For the Love of Bookstores - Blue Cypress Books


 I spent most of my life harboring a love for New Orleans, so much so that I knew I had to eventually move there. Many of my friends and life experiences were in New Orleans. Me becoming a part of that city was the logical next step. And I did, right at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Some timing, huh? Still, I'm glad that I finally moved there, if even for a short time. Thanks to a good friend of mine who passed several years ago, I learned about Blue Cypress Books on Oak Street. When I moved to NOLA, it became my go-to place on Sundays right after some time spent in Rue De La Course down the street. I have no photos of the bookstore but I have a lot of quiet memories of that place. Blue Cypress is a quirky bookstore, complete with used and new titles, LOTS of NOLA-related items, and a cat that owns the place. No really. 

NOLA is a literary city. And a musical one. And a party one. And a historical one. And that is what you'll find in Blue Cypress. Their selection of books covers the entire spectrum of what makes New Orleans New Orleans. I have a ton of credit with them and yet I don't want to use it online. I want to step into their bookstore once more (they've moved across the street) and return to that collection of memories I held for safekeeping. I want to hear their random conversations about everything under the sun and wonder what book(s) I'll be purchasing. I took being able to visit them under 15 minutes for granted, especially as I have now lived in Colorado for well over a year and love it. I don't think it's a bibliophilic betrayal, only that Life has a funny way of showing you what you truly need. Blue Cypress Books is a place that I will need as long as I am a book lover. Which is forever.  

Blue Cypress Books FEELS like a damn bookstore, a place to embrace a love of reading. It feels like a place that you are welcomed in, no matter if you live in NOLA or not. Because of them, I learned about the author and photographer Kristin Fouquet as well as many other NOLA authors. Blue Cypress was also a place of comfort during the beginning of the pandemic. I didn't mind wearing a mask as I walked around. I just wanted to be there, no matter what. I wanted that feeling of knowing that things would eventually get better. Whenever I see a post from the bookstore on Instagram, I smile. 

Laissez les bons temps roulez. 

Blue Cypress Books - 8123 Oak Street, New Orleans, LA 

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