SOUTHERN BYWAYS BOOKSTORE PROJECT: MAPLE STREET BOOK SHOP
Maple Street Book Shop
Address: 7529 Maple Street , New Orleans, LA 70118
Phone: 504-866-4916
Manager: Gladin Scott
Website: www.maplestreetbookshop.com
Twitter: @fightthestupids
Mary Kellogg and Rhoda Norman opened Maple Street Book Shop back in 1964, celebrating their independence as women and free thinkers. From the beginning, the bookstore became a place the left wing and avant garde could depend on as a source for their books and as a meeting place. The location was ideal, near both the Tulane and Loyola University campuses in New Orleans, and Mary and Rhoda soon found their store becoming the city’s answer to the conservative norm.
The current owner, Donna Allen purchased it from Mary and Rhoda in 2007, joining the world of bookselling after years of teaching history at several local universities, including Loyola. She decided to continue Mary and Rhoda’s legacy with longtime customer Gladin Scott on-board as the store’s manager.
Literary fiction, children’s books and books about New Orleans are favorites among The Maple Street Book Store’s clientele, with Southern 
literature like “Confederacy of Dunces,” “Keepers of the House” and “The Moviegoer” claiming Dixie fans as well.
Speaking of “The Moviegoer,” it is important to note that this legendary book store had a very special relationship with local author Walker Percy. (I love it when authors can develop a deep connection to a bookstore that they know and cherish!)
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Bonnie Jacobs, August 19th, 2010, 6:49 pm
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