Kitchen Witch cookbook store set to close

The past several years has been a rollercoaster ride for the New Orleans cookbook store Kitchen Witch Cookbooks. We’ve profiled some of the store’s struggles, including a GoFundMe effort to help them cope with a traffic slowdown due to a move. Unfortunately the situation has not improved, according to owners Debbie Lindsey and Philipe LaMancusa. The pair recently announced that Kitchen Witch would be closing later this year. 

For years, the store occupied a location in the French Quarter that enjoyed a high amount of foot traffic. Rising rents forced them to move to a location away from the Quarter, which meant that they had fewer people stopping in. When asked what it would take to keep the shop open, Lindsey said that it “would truly take on of those miracles in a Frank Capra movie.” She and LaMancusa have been using their savings to keep the shop afloat and can no longer afford to do so. As a result, they will not renew their lease when it expires in September.

Although the lease expires in September, Lindsey and LaMancusa are not sure how long the store will remain open. As of now they plan to last through the spring, and will play it by ear after that.