Faulkner House Books In New Orleans, Louisiana

Deep in the city of New Orleans is a narrow lane called Priate’s Alley.

If you were walking down this laneway in the French Quarter, you would come across a true hidden gem: a slender bookstore known as Faulkner House Books.

Faulker House Books is named after none other than William Faulkner, the critically acclaimed American author who actually lived in this very building in the mid-1920s.

Back then, he wasn’t yet a household name. In fact, he wrote his first novel in this residence back in 1925 – Soldier’s Pay.

As the placard describes, this building dates back to 1840 – arising from the ruins of the French Colonial Prison. How’s that for a historic pedigree?

Today, the former home of Faulkner/French prisoners houses a petite charming bookstore, and surprisingly, a young family.

Longtime owners of Faulkner House Books – Joe and Rosemary DeSalvo – were looking to retire when one of their former interns – Garner Robinson – wandered into the store on a date with his sweetheart Permele Doyle. Permele fell in love with the charming place and Garner knew at that moment that the torch would be passed to him.

Garner Robinson and business partner Devereaux Bell purchased the bookstore from the DeSalvo’s in the fall of 2019 and Garner and his then-fiance Permele moved into the living quarters upstairs. Soon, the young couple welcomed a child.

Now, the family shares living space with the bookstore they run – separated only by a delicate metal gate

The bookstore portion of the building is rather small – maybe only about 500 square feet.

But it is packed floor-to-ceiling with books classic to contemporary.

The two-room bookstore is adorned with antiques and handsome mahogany bookcases.

The narrow first-floor rooms of this 1840 townhouse make a perfect space for a cozy browse through the stacks.

Below, you can see the historic herringbone brick floors…

William Faulkner claimed the house was “the best spot in New Orleans in which to live.” He subleased the ground floor in 1925.

How fitting that the dwelling has now become a literary haven and a tribute to famed American authors.

Faulkner House Books is not only a bookstore, it is also a museum of sorts, with various pieces of literary memorabilia.

And look at this historic poster below:

Faulkner died on July 6, 1962, at age 64.

As one gazes down the second long room of the bookstore, you can see the Greek Revival gate that separates the public space from the private family home.

Curious patrons can peek through the gate to get a glimpse of the private living quarters beyond.

Lucky for us, Garner and Permele have allowed various magazine photographers into their family home.

Not surprisingly, the living quarters are rich with books and antiques.

French doors look out onto a small courtyard on the ground floor.

On the second floor, there is a salon with French Provincial styling.

The formal dining room is not large, but it has the most gorgeous blue cabinets.

The galley kitchen is fit for a French Quarter Queen.

The whole building is just oozing with elegance and panache.

A spiraling staircase joins the three levels.

Of course, no bookshop/dwelling would be complete without a resident feline.

What a charmed life this fine literary kitty must have!

The attic room has been transformed into a children’s room with ample shelf space for all those classic childhood favorites.

Can you imagine growing up in such a magical place?

But there is also a dark side to this building. The space is reportedly haunted by the surly ghost of Willian Faulkner. Guests have reported a strong mysterious aroma of pipe tobacco (something Faulkner was known for), and some have even claimed to see him hunched over at his writing desk, which is still right there in the store.