Mary Stuart Kellogg, the co-founder of the New Orleans-based indie bookstore Maple Street Book Shop has died. The 89 year-old suffered complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Kellogg opened the bookstore in a house with her sister Rhoda back in 1964. “Because Mary and Rhoda Norman felt like fish out of water in mostly conservative New Orleans, 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,” explains the store’s website. “They would hang out on the screened side porch—where the travel section is today—schmoozing until after dark, sometimes well after closing hours if anyone had enough pocket change to run down to Bruno’s and buy a few beers to fuel the conversation.”
The Times-Picayune has more: “Over the years, the independent bookshop at 7529 Maple St. in the Carrollton neighborhood has been the site of signings by authors such as Walker Percy, William Styron and Willie Morris.”
The store celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.