Hidden Gems: Two Story Books and Coffeehouse

By: JB Ricks

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Two Story is a local coffeehouse and used bookstore packed into one house. It’s located off of North Main Street and could easily be mistaken for someone’s home at first glance.

            Trevor Wright, an alumnus of Georgia Southern and owner of Two Story, bought the house in the Summer of 2023. It was the same house he lived in with a few roommates while he was in college. After a deep clean and some renovations, Two Story Books and Coffeehouse opened in September 2023.

Inside of Two Story there are handmade bookshelves stacked from floor to ceiling. They offer a wide variety of used books from fiction to philosophy and religion.

The books are separated and categorized by room, meaning each room has a different book genre. There are plenty of spaces with a variety of different tables and chairs to sit and enjoy a book with a cup of coffee.

Two Story’s cafe looks like a typical conventional kitchen. They have coffee and other drinks, such as tea or hot chocolate offered at affordable prices. Two Story also has seasonal specials and other deals like matcha Monday, when the drink is on sale for $2.

One room in Two Story has a brown grand piano tucked into the corner with two acoustic guitars resting on the wall behind it. Behind the piano, there is a bookshelf stuffed with sheet music. Some of the music sits stacked on the floor on the piano’s music stand. 

The wooden floors creak as customers explore the house. Every room is filled with unique books, art, and other trinkets to look at. Two Story doesn’t feel like a place of business, it feels like a welcome space which sets it apart from other coffee places in town.

“The vibe we’ve tried to set up is a chill, homey place to study. It feels like you’re sitting in someone's house,” said Daisy Davis, a barista at Two Story. Davis has been with Two Story since they opened and even helped clean the house before it opened.

There is a spiral stack of books beside the doorway of the fiction room resembling a Christmas tree. The stack has different origami cranes, butterflies and other creatures resting on its different branched books.

Beyond this book stack is the Children's room, which has a large circular table in the center. The room also has two white bookshelves filled with children’s and young teen books from The Cat in the Hat to The Fault in Our Stars.

Locals come to Two Story to read, study or even just hang out. One group of regulars home schools their kids in one of the back rooms. Southern’s Catholic eagles also use another room on Friday mornings for their studies.  Davis argues that people from all walks of life come to visit Two Story.

            “I like it a lot, it feels very personal when I get to talk to people and the regulars. We have a regular crowd that comes in Friday and Saturday morning when I’m working and I hang out and talk to them. It’s really cool,” said Davis.

            In an age where digital media is becoming more common, it’s important to have places where physical media, like books, exist. At Two Story, you don’t have to buy a book to read it. Most used bookstores let you grab a book off the shelf to read and put it back once you’re ready to leave.

Two Story Books and Coffeehouse is an important third space or a place to socialize outside of work or home. In America, there has been a significant decrease in these spaces due to the emergence of streaming services and social media. Hanging out and socializing at places like Two Story can help you feel less isolated.

            Two Story has also recently built a pavilion outside of its entrance for customers and different events they host.  Every Saturday they host a swing dancing event where locals come and teach each other how to swing dance.

            In addition to the Coffee House, the house also has a rentable loft. This space can be booked for private events or overnight stays. The space is on the second floor of the house and has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, offering an affordable alternative to a hotel or Airbnb.