John Cavalier and his wife, Michelle, were both 20 years old and employees at the Book Warehouse of Baton Rouge on Florida Boulevard in 2005 when the owner announced he was retiring and closing the business.
Knowing he wanted to pursue a career in the book business, Cavalier decided to venture out on his own. Strong relationships with some of Book Warehouse’s biggest clients allowed the couple to open Cavalier House Books later that year, Business Report details in its latest Entrepreneur feature.
Initially, they operated the business from John’s parents’ house, filling bulk book orders for schools. They’ve since evolved into a company that organizes book fairs and distributes books regionally, and they’ve opened a brick-and-mortar bookstore.
After graduating from Southeastern University in 2009, the Cavaliers opened their store in the Denham Springs Antique District, and two years later began bringing book fairs to schools across South Louisiana.
Despite major corporate competition from companies like Scholastic Book Fairs, Cavalier and his three-person team bring their book fairs to a different school every week.
“For me, this business has been about discovering how to make a living off of being in and around what you love,”
