Louisiana

Name: Maison Blanche Department Stores
Brand: Edward J. Branley
SKU: 9780738588179
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Slip down the bayous and back alleys of Louisiana history. Some stories speak of tragedy: the whispers of New Orleans vampires, the tortured souls haunting plantations, the horrors of the Thibodaux Massacre. But the twists and turns of Pelican State heritage offer their fair share of revelry as well. Sit on an abandoned dock in Lake Charles, visit the birthplace of Huey P. Long or take a guided tour of the historic French Quarter with our Louisiana history books. [View all Louisiana books]

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Maison Blanche Department Stores

Johnny White's Sports Bar

$21.99

Maison Blanche Department Stores

9780738588179

$24.99

On October 30, 1897, S.J. Shwartz, Gus Schullhoefer, and Hartwig D. Newman--with financial backing from banker Isidore Newman--opened the Maison Blanche at the corner of Canal Street and Rue Dauphine in New Orleans. Converting Shwartz's dry goods store into the city's first department store, the trio created a retail brand whose name lasted over a century. In 1908, Shwartz tore his store down and built what was the city's largest building--13 stories, with his Maison Blanche occupying the first five floors. The MB Building became, and still is, a New Orleans icon, and Maison Blanche was a retail leader in the city, attracting some of the best and brightest people in the business. One of those employees, display manager Emile Alline, created the store's second icon, the Christmas character "Mr. Bingle," in 1947. Mr. Bingle continues to spark the imagination of New Orleans children of all ages. Even though Maison Blanche has become part of New Orleans's past, the landmark Canal Street store lives on as the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

K&B Drug Stores

9780738582276

$24.99

Sydney J. Besthoff III, past president and owner of K&B Drug Stores and grandson of Sydney J. Besthoff (founder with Gustave Katz of Katz & Besthoff Drug Store), is a meticulous keeper of records. The photographs found in this book are from his personal collection, covering the 92-year life span of Katz & Besthoff and K&B Drug Stores. This is a rare opportunity to see these photographs, which chronicle a piece of New Orleans history, during which time the store became a part of the community. K&B Drug Store grew from a local pharmacy with more than 50 locations in the New Orleans area to 186 stores in six states while remaining based in New Orleans. Fondly remembered as the "purple dragon," K&B is greatly missed by all those who passed through its purple doors and were rung up on its purple cash registers. Come sit inside a Katz & Besthoff location one last time and have a Nectar soda--and don't forget to pick up half a gallon of K&B ice cream on your way home.

Krauss

9781625858627

$21.99

For almost one hundred years, generations of New Orleans shoppers flocked to Krauss. The Canal Street store was hailed for its vast merchandise selection and quality customer service. In its early days, it sold lace and fabric to the ladies of the notorious red-light district of Storyville. The store's renowned lunch counter, Eddie's at Krauss, served Eddie Baquet's authentic New Orleans cuisine to customers and celebrities such as Julia Child. Although the beloved store finally closed its doors in 1997, Krauss is still fondly remembered as a retail haven. With vintage photographs, interviews with store insiders and a wealth of research, historian Edward J. Branley brings the story of New Orleans' Creole department store back to life.

New Orleans Coffee

9781467141390

$21.99

New Orleans history is steeped in coffee. Café du Monde and Morning Call started serving café au lait more than a century ago.

Outside the Cathedral of St. Louis in Jackson Square, early entrepreneurs like Old Rose provided eager churchgoers with the brew, and it was sold in the French Market beginning in the late 1700s. People gathered for business, socializing, politics and auctions at five hundred coffee exchanges and shops in the 1800s. Since 1978, myriad specialty coffee shops have opened to meet increasing demand for great coffee. Author Suzanne Stone presents the full story of this celebrated tradition, including how chicory became part of the city's special flavor.

Johnny White's Sports Bar

9781467140904

$21.99

Johnny White's Sports Bar was a French Quarter institution. Often called "the locals' living room," Johnny White's was the only twenty-four-hour bar on Bourbon Street and attracted a colorful cast of regulars, local characters and tourists looking for a good time. Memorable French Quarter personalities like Ruthie the Duck Girl and Perri the Hobo frequented the bar in their rounds. During Hurricane Katrina, the bar remained a refuge to those who'd stayed in the city, despite authorities ordering the bar to close at gunpoint. When the bar's lease was finally up in 2012, patrons mourned its loss with a full jazz funeral procession. Marita Woywod Crandle offers an insider's look at the gritty, unique and often hilarious world of this beloved and much-missed French Quarter icon.