Lonely Planet Road Trip: Making Friends Before Lunch

by Edward Nawotka, PW Daily for Booksellers -- Publishers Weekly, 6/2/2004

With average gasoline prices over $2 a gallon, now might not be the best time to travel cross country in a vehicle that gets only six miles to the gallon. Almost three weeks into their grand tour of independent bookstores, the undaunted Lonely Planet "Everywhere You Are Road Trip" RV rolled into New Orleans last Wednesday, having made its way along the Eastern seaboard from New York to Florida, then across the South to New Orleans.

This PW reporter joined the group in the Crescent City and will accompany them for the remainder of the trip to BookExpo America. PW Daily offers this detailed overview of just one half day on LP's trip...

After a night of oysters and Abita beer on Bourbon Street, the crew--now encompassing Darren Bured, an Aussie and Lonely Planet's IT guru; Ian White, a LP writer; Suki Gear, an LP guidebook editor; and Gary Todoroff, LP's director of sales--set off to maneuver the RV along New Oreleans' narrow, uneven streets. Fortunately the four stores on the agenda--Beaucoup Books, Octavia Bookstore, the Maple Street Book Shop and the Garden District Bookstore--were clustered around a small area of the Garden District, a pretty residential neighborhood bordering the downtown business district and only a short streetcar ride from the French Quarter.

Britton Trice, owner of the Maple Street Bookstore, remarked that four high quality independent bookstores in one neighborhood may seem like an embarrassment of riches, but the local stores have more or less been protected from competition by big chain booksellers, who are restricted by local zoning laws that limit retail stores to just 5,000 square feet. The only nearby chain store was a sizable Bookstar in a shopping mall on the edge of the French Quarter, but that closed last year.

Mary Price Dunbar, owner of Beaucoup Books, also had the misfortune of closing a branch in recent years, but the original store is thriving. She prepared for the LP visit in several ways: with orange traffic cones, she reserved space in front of the store for the massive 32-ft. RV. She also converted a front window into an LP shrine (with the mistaken inclusion of a Chronicle Books guide or two), and a large chalkboard announced the impending visit.

When the RV arrived, some customers stood waiting to talk to the LP staff. A recent college grad was preparing for a two-month trip to Europe and sought a copy of Europe on a Shoestring, one of LP's signature series for budget travelers.

A tanned, middle-aged couple browsing in the store beamed when they saw the LP RV, and announced to no one in particular "we've been to 26 countries and love Lonely Planet." Asked how they were able to visit so many countries, they replied, "We're Jehovah's Witnesses." (And thus make missions abroad.) The man then posed for a picture with the RV and its crew.

Beaucoup's staff, including events coordinator Courtney Eiswirth and Vasser Howorth (a niece of Richard Howorth, owner of Square Books in Oxford, Miss.), distributed Beaucoup Books bags filled Beaucoup swag, including a bags of Zaps potato chips and a praline. In return, the LP staff offered up LP T-shirts, playing cards and catalogues. The store even scored a $75 sale when the LP crew collectively purchased three copies of the special comics issue of McSweeney's.

Nearby Octavia Books is housed in a 100-year-old commercial building. The design is stunning, with bright modern track lighting and charming features, such as a bookshelf fixed to a brick wall and framed by a pair of windows, leaving the viewer with the impression that a window full of books has just been thrown open.

Owner Judith Lafitte introduced Pippin, her seven-month old Cockerdoodle (a hypoallergenic Cocker Spaniel/Standard Poodle hybrid that is all the rage among dog lovers--and must be mail ordered). At three-and-a-half years, the store is not much older than the dog, but benefits from the input of Anton Gussoni, who previously managed the bookstore at nearby Loyola University and has worked at nearly all the New Orleans independents.

Gussoni took a minute away from putting address labels on Octavia's latest newsletter to give a quick tour of the store. He said that while "the South is known for Southern literature, New Orleans is not a big reading town. Socializing takes priority." But he added, "The people who do read are very dedicated and, of course, there are many writers." Nevertheless, he noted that few writers have captured the contemporary flavor of New Orleans accurately. "Many come to town, stay for a year and write a book or two but don't get it."

One writer who has been able to overcome that stigma is Poppy Z. Bright, whose new novel, Liquor (Three Rivers Press), got rave reviews from all the booksellers LP visited. Another is John Biginuet, whose Oyster (Ecco) captures the perspective of the Cajun communities living in the swamp that borders New Orleans.

Easy-going John Bayles, an Octavia part-timer and recent transplant from the Alabama Booksmith, escorted the LP crew to lunch at the hole-in-the wall Frankie and Johnny's saloon, where the decidedly "local establishment" was screening an NCAA softball tournament game, in which Louisiana State University lost to Michigan in women's softball. The menu included alligator pie, crawfish tails and remarkably good fried red and green pepper rings. (When asked by the waitress whether he'd like an 8-inch or 12-inch po-boy sandwich, LP's team leader Gary wisecracked, "Don't make this personal.") Sadly the iced tea was terrible (LP's Darren accurately remarked that it "tastes like tobacco") and Bayles, perhaps knowing better, drank a beer.

And that was all before lunch. Check back for another report tomorrow.

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