Katie the Book Reporter

Every time I visit my hometown, I keep an eye out for little changes: a new carwash down the highway, which business has moved into my favorite old bakery‘s spot, what color a neighbor’s house is painted now. 

When I visit lately I get to see a more personal change up close – a bookstore has opened in the retail spot that used to be my mom’s. 

About a decade ago, my mom ran Welcome Home and Garden in an old blue house on Lee Lane in Covington, Louisiana. The shop had warm wooden floors, a white picket fence, a stained glass window of a dragonfly above the front door and a sealed double-sided brick fireplace. It felt like the best interior design magazine come to life. Creamy, glorious smelling blocks of hand soap from France; vibrant pillows; gorgeous John Robshaw bedding; pretty tableware and cute gifts. My mom has always had great taste, and it was exciting seeing that come to life in such a big, shareable way. 

The shop felt dreamy, and made me dream about what life would look like as an adult — what would my future home be like? What things would I fill it with?

Now, a new kind of dreaming is happening in the shop. One built around characters, plot lines and the doors to new worlds that only reading can open. 

About nine months ago, Ox Lot Books opened in that same blue house on Lee Lane. The used and new bookstore borrows its name from Covington history; the ox lots, the name given to the city’s public parking lots, were originally public trade squares on each block where farmers and others would bring oxen-driven carts to sell goods. 

Stepping inside is a little like looking at your reflection in a wavy mirror — the same, but not. 

The walls and built-in bookshelves are now painted a moody deep gray, the back has been closed in to create an office space, and books and cute bookish merch are everywhere you look. The rooms and hallways are laid with cozy rugs and runners, and there’s a reading lounge where the register used to be. 

While the details are different, the spirit is the same: 214 Lee Lane, Unit A, remains a place where you can go to find something special. Something that will make your day a little brighter and become a cherished part of your home. 

Now, I have items from both stores in my apartment: a copy of The Wedding People by Alison Espach on the shelf above my bed, a purple block printed throw pillow on the chair in my living room. A tote bag from Ox Lot on the back of my bedroom door, and Vietri wine glasses on display in a living room cabinet. 

While Welcome Home and Garden’s chapter has ended, Ox Lot’s is just beginning. I look forward to seeing what magic is on the next page.