Gulf Coast Booksellers Look Towards the Future

It has been nine weeks since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, and some area booksellers have reopened, some soon will, and others are still assessing their circumstances.

Scott Naugle's Pass Christian Books in Pass Christian, Mississippi, was completely destroyed during Katrina, but he will "absolutely rebuild." As he explains on the bookstore's website, www.passchristianbooks.com, "Pass Christian Books was more than walls, shelves, and a cash register. Pass Christian Books is a place to discuss ideas, forge friendships, recommend, and exchange thoughts about books, and to share the joy of a recent reading experience. It is a place for the meeting of minds."

As president of the Chamber of Commerce, Naugle is also helping to rebuild the town of Pass Christian. "Since 80 percent of this town was destroyed, we want to build it back better," he said. "It will make us better business people. We can create opportunity out of adversity."

The reconstruction project is enormous and includes rebuilding a section of the bridge that connects Pass Christian to New Orleans. Naugle estimated that the bookstore would take at least two years to reopen. Meanwhile, he's "trying to find ways to sell books without a storefront" and is in the process of creating a BookSense.com website.

Bookends Bookstore in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, was left with only its foundation remaining after the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina. Owner Susan Daigre has deliberated about rebuilding the bookstore and is currently waiting for more information from her insurance companies before she makes a decision. While she's waiting, she has created a "temporary business" by stocking a friend's hair salon with gift items. Daigre explained that bookseller Valerie Koehler of Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston invited her to buy whatever merchandise she needed from Blue Willow at cost to avoid the minimums of suppliers. "This way I can buy in just ones and twos," said Daigre.

Daigre wanted to create a small gift shop and "fill it up with games and Christmas books" as a way to bring more cheer into the area. "I'm not doing this to make a profit. I don't care about that. I just want to give the town something, to show we're going forward."

At New Orleans' Garden District Bookshop, which reopened October 10, Britton Trice reported that the first couple of weeks were "pretty slow." However, business was picking up and the past week was "encouraging," he said. "We were very lucky and had no damage, and in our neighborhood you don't see a lot of damage. But we're a little island surrounded by a sea of destruction." Trice said local independent businesses were reopening while the chains remained "boarded up."

Cynthia Dike reopened her children's bookstore, Maple Street Children's in New Orleans, on October 17, in an area where most schools are still closed. She told BTW, "It's been difficult to do business without children." She has been special ordering more general titles and was hopeful that business would increase as more schools reopened and as Tulane University opened for the spring semester.

Tom Lowenburg told BTW that Octavia Books in New Orleans was "possibly as busy as it had been before the storm." The bookstore reopened October 8, the same day as the neighboring bakery/cafe. The combination of the two has created a "real hot-spot," said Lowenburg, who added that they've been posting signs around the city announcing that they were open, which has brought in new and old customers. "We've been open our regular hours and we're running full steam ahead," he said. "People want to get books."

Joanne Sealy, who recently began to restore DeVille Books, said, "It's good to be back." She was spending her first day at the bookstore organizing. "I'm just starting to shelve books," she said. "We've got the shelving up and the carpet down, so I'm hoping to reopen in a week or so. Customers have been popping in, which is great."

Also deep into the cleaning process was Joseph DeSalvo, who returned to Faulkner House this past Sunday and was contending with "a lot of dust and a lot of dirt." Fortunately, the store, which DeSalvo lives above, and inventory, including many rare titles, suffered no damage. He plans to open in early December.

DeSalvo said Faulkner House was "lucky" regarding damage. However, he added, "My largest concern is about future business. We're so dependent on tourism -- 85 to 90 percent of our business is from visitors, and there are no visitors. I'm not very optimistic about sales once we do open."

Mary Price Dunbar of New Orleans' Beaucoup Books, which suffered little damage, plans to reopen Monday, November 14. The bookstore will also be the temporary home for Afro American Book Stop, which is owned by Michele Lewis. Lewis lost her home and her two bookstores to the hurricane. "We'll sell books together as a start," said Dunbar. It's a start at rebuilding. I have three or four rooms, and Michele will take a room. There won't be as many face-outs, but we'll do whatever it takes to get rolling."

Dunbar, who had been staying in Nashville, Tennessee, said that now she can return with her nine-year-old son because his school was reopening. The school was combining its efforts with another school. "They're doubling up just like we are," she said. "The shock is wearing off and it's time to face reality," she explained about the arduous task of rebuilding. With an upbeat note of resignation in her voice, she added, "It's workable." --Karen Schechner