Octavia Books

This is an amazing bookstore!! The staff are helpful and very friendly. The book selection is top notch as well.

As a first-time visitor (and customer too!), I was fascinated how big the bookstore was inside. Lovely place - and with a connected cafe too! I was able to pick up a cool board book for a child's birthday, plus a couple gifts for family. Can't wait to come back again!

I first learned of Octavia Books looking online for a Bunny Matthews book. I didn't realize at the time Octavia Books was in New Orleans (although the author was a NOLA cartoonist). On my next visit to NOLA, I made a point to visit Octavia Books. You'd expect the store to be on Magazine Street, in da French Quarter or other prominent location, but it's actually tucked deep into the neighborhood. Given its tony locale, the scale of the bookstore is quite ambitious. Very inviting with large rooms, one after another, places to sit quietly and read, a truly massive collection of books, a real labor of love in what is rare these days, a brick & mortar (i.e. framed & clapboard) bookstore. Most importantly, the local interest section in the front room is well stocked with every title imaginable for readers wanting to learn all about the city as fiction and non, in pictures, impressions and expressions. I'll be excited to visit Octavia often, but I better start putting eyes to pulp.

This precious independent bookstore made it to our Top 10 on our list of independent bookstores. It is laid out very well with a large and varied selection of books. There is a coffee shop cafe that was packed. You can tell the locals love it there. I found The Big Book of King Cake coffee table book and another Banksy book to bring home with me. I did leave three other books I really wanted so that means I'll have to go back. I highly recommend this little gem to anyone looking for a sweet local bookstore to support.