BOO KS & BOOZE
Turning a Page BEAUSOLEIL BOOKS BRINGS SENSORY OVERLOAD TO DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE Story amd photos by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
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tep into Downtown Lafayette’s newest retail space with your mind an open book—“I want to read something new, but I don’t know what”—and you’ll find the staff at Beausoleil Bookstore well-read on the subject. What genres do you like? Something old or something new? Paperback? The room—purple floors, wooden bookshelves, antique sofa and all—is a conglomeration of the four owners’ expertise and passions. James curated the sci-fi section and is an expert on historical nonfiction. Blaire’s got your romance novels under wraps. India unapologetically loves young adult novels in between her more serious reading on today’s social issues. And Bryan, well, he keeps tabs on the local interest section—which, naturally, extends into French literature. For Bryan Dupree, the opportunity to help promote French literacy in Acadiana was a huge part of the draw to open up Beausoleil, which he did with three friends in October 2020. But it was also a chance to bring new retail activity to Lafayette’s more restaurant-laden downtown area, as well as to offer a daytime gathering space for locals and visitors alike. “I felt that we really needed a place that exuded our French-ness downtown,” said Dupree, who is a direct descendant of the bookstore’s namesake, the Cajun folk hero Joseph “Beausoleil” Broussard. “Upon researching, we realized that Lafayette is the largest city in South Louisiana without an independent bookstore.” And in a city like Lafayette, which Dupree describes as especially enthusiastic about supporting small businesses, the very human and regionally-specific experience of a boutique bookstore fits right in. “There are real people choosing each book in the store,” he said. “There is this customization and attention to detail that can only be provided in a small shop. We literally hand pick books for our customers.” Not only this, but with eight attuned ears, Beausoleil’s owners intentionally
work to provide a selection that suits Lafayette’s specific tastes, offering forms for customers to submit their requests. “For instance, we’ve recently expanded our books on the subject of design,” explained Dupree. “Local design consultants would come in and say, ‘You know, you should really carry this author!’ So, the books we carry are chosen for the community, but they are also very much chosen by the community.” Opening up a brick-and-mortar, page-and-cover bookstore in the age of screens and scrolling (and in a pandemic, no less) is an act of faith in the power of the tangible, the sensory, the analog. “It’s the feeling of turning pages,” said Dupree. “Turning them yourself. . . making the discovery yourself. You’ve got to have a customer base that appreciates the written word on paper, as it was originally intended.” Indulging even deeper into that sensory element of reading, Beausoleil’s book club currently includes—alongside its “Book du Mois” selection—a Candle of the Month. “So December’s book was Christina Lauren’s Christmas romance, In a Holidaze,” said Dupree. “So local candlemakers Jules and Esther made a limited edition, custom candle called Holidaze, which is meant to evoke the cozy smells of the book’s cabin setting while you read.” In 2021, once conditions allow for a safe opening, Beausoleil Books will also introduce its own wine bar, called The Whisper Room—where book club members can purchase a cocktail of the month to complement their Book du Mois, bringing the experience from the imagination to the nose to the tongue (and maybe even, after enough imbibing, back to the imagination). The Whisper Room will offer a space for enjoying a selection of French and Spanish wines, cocktails, and small bites—either as a stylish accompaniment to your romance novel or as fuel for much-missed conversations in cozy community spaces. h
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