Located in uptown New Orleans, the charming Octavia Books was voted Best Locally Owned Bookstore in Gambit’s Best of New Orleans 2018 poll, and it isn’t difficult to see why. 

The shop is beautifully decorated, impressively stocked with a wealth of genres, and operated by a friendly and well-read staff that is quick to offer a recommended read or a cool place to grab lunch. (I took them up on the latter during my afternoon visit.)

Octavia Books was established by Tom Lowenburg and Judith Lafitte in 2000, during a time when relatively few indie bookstores were opening for business. Their mission was simple: to prove that a good local bookstore can be an essential part of community – a mission shared by this very website.

In addition to lining its shelves with the latest new releases, classics, children’s books, and plenty more, the shop has indeed become the community hub it set out to be. Octavia maintains an active calendar of author events, welcomes book clubs, and stocks plenty of signed titles by both regional and nationally known authors.

That special customer service touch that is unmatched by local indie shops is on full display at Octavia. During my brief visit, customer inquiries and phone calls were handled with care, and plenty of what appeared to be regulars were darkening the doorstep. If I lived in the lovely neighborhood that Octavia calls home, I would most assuredly be one of them.

Octavia Books is located at 513 Octavia Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. Open daily.

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