Blue Cypress Books

3.5÷5 has a queer reading section
it’s a cute bookstore on oak — tiny thing you might pass it up as you stroll by. or the place you escape to, if poboy fest, for example. it’s super packed in there, and they carry both new and used.
i’ve found some good finds, particularly in the back section for queer books ranging from philosophy to uh, not philosophy. i’d say this is notable as not all stores carry or arrange this way. given its size, though, it does feel like it has a more limited selection. but then on the other hand, it also seems like they have more eccentric finds — the books seem more bookish, if that makes sense. so if you’re looking for the newest whatever oprah release, i’m sure you can call to make sure they have it, but if you’re looking to spend a bit of time just browsing and potentially coming across a surprise, then walk on in.

Great selection, friendly service, wholly local, low prices, and best of all there’s a cat.

Lurve this place.
With each passing year, there are fewer bookstores of any stripe (even big box stores). Now, with the soon-​to-​be-​passing of Maple Street Books, not long after McKeown’s Books and Difficult Music joined the ranks of Ain’t Dere No More, I worry more and more about our remaining gems. And Blue Cypress is one of those gems.
The space is small, but the selection is somehow quite big, and you don’t feel «observed» if you grab a book and sit down on the floor or one of the chairs/​stools in the place and just read. The staff is always welcoming and always helpful. They even have a «bookstore cat» (although they don’t carry Karen Mather’s picture book, «The Bookstore Cat»).
There’s a significant local author/​local topic section, and this is a good place to get your annual New Orleans festivals calendar every year at Po’Boy Festival time. In fact, this is one of those good places to duck in and take a rest during the Po’Boy Fest.
The children’s section is particularly good, and well-​organized. (Anyone who has ever tried to keep a children’s book section properly curated will understand how impressive this is.)
The fiction, history and biography sections are quite good as well, and there’s a little something for everyone (sports, humor, gardening, cooking, self-​help, etc.), and a nice group of collectible books behind the counter.
Mystery section needs more Rex Stout. :)
It’s really difficult to make a profit running a used book business, and even more difficult to make a profit selling used books TO a used book store, but I’ve done that here, too — I’m still not wealthy, but at least I’ve got a couple more books I really wanted instead of twenty that I didn’t.
But really, Blue Cypress is one of my happy places — a great way to lose track of time. Go hang out!

This is a great bookstore with a wide selection of new and used books. The staff is always friendly. I have only sold books here once, but it was a painless experience, and good to know they do buy used books for cash or store credit. They do have a nice selection of local books and authors. I could spend hours in here, and Oak Street is a scenic area with a variety of things to do and see. I do love the cat hanging around! They do have postcards and refrigerator magnets for sale!

I found this wonderful gem of a bookstore on my latest journey to be a tourist in my hometown! When I walked in I was greeted by the wonderful smell of books and a warm smile from Leona at the bookstore desk. I found the store to have a variety of new and used books and even happened upon the cutest little cat taking a nap in the rear of the store. I ended up purchasing two children’s books for my nephew but I learned they also buy books so I will definitely be back!
I hope more people support this store! These are the types of businesses in New Orleans that exemplify our culture and character as a city.

I found the books I was looking for as well as some that I didn’t need… Definitely a fun shop to look around in. And they have a cute cat!

I purchase books from Blue Cypress fairly often. Today I am babysitting an 11 year old girl and took her to this bookstore with the intention of buying a book for her if we found one she liked. We sat in the children’s section for about 15 minutes, reading the backs and some excerpts to one another, talking about our favorite types of books and petting the store cat.
When we left, the lady working says to me very condescendingly, «oh okay bye. Maybe next time huh?»
I was so incredibly confused. Since when can you not go into a bookstore – or any store – and choose not to purchase?
Then I caught her staring at us with a mean look through the window as we left the clothing shop across the street.
Not sure what was up with this lady. Hopefully she was just having a bad day. Regardless, I will not be spending my money here any longer. Going into a bookstore is a relaxing thing for me. I enjoy taking my time, breathing the scent of old books as I carefully choose my next adventure to go on. I don’t want any pressure while I shop.
Be weary.

Elizabeth and company run one of the finest book shops in the city. While, as some reviewers point out, the shop is small, «intimate» is a more apt description. The books, in all genres, are quality. If they don’t have what you want, browse instead and discover something new and, undoubtedly, excellent.
I always bring friends, too, people who live for books, and they are always impressed and surprised with the collection.

Great little bookstore, and it’s both those things, little and great. They have an amazingly good and varied selection crammed into their small quarters, but it still feels very homey and not like some book warehouse. I was in NOLA for six weeks on a job and this place helped me feel at home. And the prices are really great! It reminds you that reading is for everyone, not just for a select few.

Absolutely my favorite bookstore in New Orleans. They always have such cool books and general New Orleans ephemera. It’s my go-​to place for all gifts; I got a signed John Besh cookbook for a great price around Christmas-​time. They also have amazingly fair prices on buying used books. I recently sold approximately 30 books to them for $ 26. Another used bookstore in the area offered me $ 7. They’ll also donate any book they don’t buy to the Friends of the Library, which saved me a trip down there. They also have a loyalty program, where once you get enough stamps (one stamp for every $ 5 spent…$ 50 total, I think), you get a book valued under $ 10 for free. And the folks that work in the store are so friendly and ready to help. I love this little Oak Street gem! Check it out if you’re in the area!

My experience with Blue Cypress Books is as a book seller, not a buyer. I’ve been making a major effort to reduce the amount of stuff in my life. So, when I finally to go the point that I was ready to let go of the ridiculous amount of books that I had amassed over the years, I did my research and found Blue Cypress. I had a wide variety of stuff– from text books, to novels, to children’s books, to cookbooks, etc, etc. It was literally a little bit of pretty much everything.
I loaded up all of my books into milk crates, lugged them out to my car, and headed over to Oak Street. When I got there, I lugged them from my car, one crate at a time, into Blue Cypress. And, I had a bunch of crates. Now, one milk crate full of books is no big deal. A dozen or more is a whole other issue. The store wasn’t busy at all when I got there. So, I was a bit miffed to be doing all this lugging and not have anyone willing to do something simple like help me with the door. Obviously I didn’t expect any help carrying everything in, but it would have been nice to have someone at least hold open the door as they’re standing right there watching me lug all these crates in while struggling to open the door. Honestly, that one, little thing really had a pretty major impact on my view of the service at Blue Cypress. Manners, people. Have some manners.
I did a little browsing as they were going through my books and was a little underwhelmed by what I saw. Based on the reviews, I was expecting them to have more. The shop is on the smaller side… and as so was the very edited selection of book they had available.
I had some books that I thought would for sure sell that got turned because they already had one (ONE!) in stock. However, overall, they did end up taking more than I was expecting. And, they offered me a fair price for something that I would have otherwise ended up taking to Goodwill (which is exactly where I went with the crates and books I still had when I left.)
Of course, I had to repeat the lugging process after I was done. And, still no one helped with the door. But, whatever. I love reading and I love books, but I hate clutter and have limited space. So, I’ve gone digital and don’t really buy books anymore.
However, if you love to read, books can also be like a drug… sometimes you just have to have one. I just won’t be getting my fix from Blue Cypress Books. And yes, I will freely admit that it is 100% because no one helped me with the door that day.

This is our favorite book store! Our FAVORITE bookstore!!!
Over the last few years (since my last review) we have been here dozens of times and rarely leave empty handed. Somehow they ALWAYS manage to have the things that we are looking for (we have a running list), and on the off chance that they don’t have it, they will order it, or keep a lookout for a ‘previously owned’ copy. We love it here.
The prices are fantastic! The staff is GREAT! The selection is amazing for a shop of its size. They are locally owned. The shop kitty lets me rub her tummy.
love.this.bookstore.

Love this bookstore. The owner, Liz, is a joy to talk to and knows every book that comes in or leaves her store. Favourite things about Blue Cypress: daily $ 0.25 books outside of various genres, soft and hardcovers, even magazines and literary Quarterlies/​Journals; and the loyalty program (every regular priced book you buy, it counts towards a free book).
Definitely stop in if you’re ever on Oak.

I love coming in here when I’m looking for a new book to read, or for a book on a specific topic. I’ve bought random fiction books here and loved them. I’ve bought a couple cookbooks here and given them away as gifts. And I bought a couple language dictionaries for my travels. The staff is always very friendly and the books are very cheap. Love this place.

Such a great find! Walking around Oak street, I came across the cutest book shop and had to go in.
It looks totally quaint from outside and you think you are only going to find obscure works of art in here, but they so many known and famous titles as well. I wish I lived near this books store — it has such a great vibe!
Not to mention the attendant was spot on with giving me some tips about the area and where to go during my short stay there. Thank you!

The owner is such a pleasant proprietor, and has quite a funny facebook feed, so make sure to like them on facebook if you enjoy as I do. The store kitty is so meow meow cute and has lead me to various books I was looking for before, so helpful to boot!
It’s in a great spot on Oak Street, so you can stop for a coffee or burger within a few minutes walk, and read your new purchase while you enjoy the weather.
Just remember to bring your frequent reader cards when you go back, as I keep forgetting and I have a good half dozen filled and semi-​filled bookmarks around my house.
Why would you go to
for books when this place is a treasure trove at very cheap prices?

This is a fun bookstore with a cat lounging around. The owner and staff are super friendly (nicest bunch I’ve met amongst the bookstores). I’ve sold books and bought them here. It’s a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon after walking up and down the scenic Oak Street!

Cute little shop that we stopped in on our way somewhere else, so unfortunately we didn’t have much time. But there was a decent selection, and a friendly employee.
But the most important news? 1. There’s an adorable cat that hangs out by the Harry Potter books. (What a great sentence.) 2. I found a first edition Fitzgerald for TWO DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS. What? I’m still excited about my find.

I came in here today with no real book in mind that I wanted to buy. I definitely wanted to get something to read though and I always love spending time in bookstores. Even though I have a Kindle, I still dish out a sizable amount of cash on real books, because nothing beats the smell of books, the feel of different art covers and editions, and flipping those pages.
I wasn’t entirely impressed with Cypress books, but I understand that many big stores and the online community have greatly affected smaller independent stores. The service was friendly and there was a cute cat that followed me around meowing and weaving itself around my legs.
I scanned every shelf book by book, I think I spent about 1.5 hrs in there. I found a couple of books to read, but I was sort of let down by the selection. I suppose it is hard when a good amount of the books are second hand, and the more popular books are usually hard to come by or sell quickly. I found the prices of the books to be very reasonable and the books themselves were in good condition.

This is absolutely my favorite book store. When I first arrived the owner welcomed me with open arms and helped me in every way possible. She gave me great book suggestions for each topic I wanted and just was very friendly. This establishment makes you feel comfortable. The books are beyond reasonably priced. I go in there and buy books like a crazy addict! To top it off you can sell back books! Even my nerdy books she bought, now tell me that’s not cool! Check it out
Also… She put Harry Potter books on the side for me when I was reclaiming my series!!! She helped a lost nerd get a chance to relive her favorite spells.