WGNO

Oprah says check out this New Orleans bookstore named after a Civil Rights legend

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — When a New Orleans bookstore opened back in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, it needed a name.

And it found one — the right one.

Right on the shelf. On a book written by James Baldwin.

Now, WGNO Good Morning New Orleans features reporter Bill Wood wants you to know the bookstore is getting a nod from one of reading’s biggest fans: Oprah Winfrey.

On her Oprah’s Book Club Instagram, Oprah invites you to check out Baldwin & Co at 1030 Elysian Fields Ave.

Bill Wood asks Baldwin & Co. Bookstore owner DJ Johnson, “Why did you name your bookstore for James Baldwin?”

DJ Johnson says, “He is the most prolific writer in America, better than anybody who puts pen to paper.”

DJ opened what he believes to be more than a store that lives by the book.

More than a place for coffee and conversation.

In a 100-year-old building that’s been a funeral home, an insurance office, and a daiquiri shop, a new chapter now unfolds.

James Baldwin once said, “Read everything you can get your hands on.”

He did.

And here, so can you. At the bookstore where your company is always wanted.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.