I felt the typical, minor anxieties of walking into a new coffee shop when crossing the slim threshold of Two Story Books and Coffeehouse, located at 142 North Main Street in Statesboro, GA, on a Saturday afternoon. A barista behind the rustic bar mixed the order ahead of mine in pace with the gentle melody playing throughout the shop, and I took in the spirit of a house brimming with life.
Hot white chocolate latte in hand, I investigated the bends of the hallway and staircase lined with books; I might have even peeked through a cracked door at the top of the stairwell before realizing that it was likely meant to be closed.
And I found myself in a bright sitting room with shelved walls holding books stacked to the crown molding far above my head. I had come to the coffeehouse pursuing another story, but was now, head tilted, joyously glazing over the spines of mismatched volumes of poetry and psychology.
I sat for a while, sipping and hovering my eyes over a thin Freudian essay, far more interested in the rarity of finding comfort in a place I had never been.
Trevor Wright said that was the whole idea.
He had arrived alongside a friend and employee of the shop, Charlotte Crowe, only a few minutes after I had phoned him asking to know more about the coffeehouse he co-owns with Jordan and Christian Scott.
Wright said he’d never anticipated owning a space like Two Story, but having come to Statesboro pursuing an English degree and knowing that his work and life would be made fulfilling through forming meaningful connections with people, he says his circumstances are fitting.
Four years after buying the house, the shop is operating as an intellectual hub and community safe space. The restoration process finished in October of 2023, and the introduction of a staff of ‘great people’ to run the show, has turned a 100 year old dwelling into an intimate, warm and blooming sanctuary.
Some additions, like WiFi and modernized utilities, have helped the early 1900’s structure evolve into the multifunctional lounge it is today. Still, motivated to promote relaxation and deep contemplation, Wright and Crowe assured me that neither television screens nor gray painted walls will ever be found in Two Story.
Drawing from the principles of 19th century European literary and philosophical movements, the purpose of aesthetics, and values like longevity, wisdom and mindful reflection are esteemed by those behind the scenes of the coffeehouse.
“Things are not fixed, they’re not new, they're not fake should I say… Even if they're old, if they're not perfect, there's craftsmanship that goes into the things that are here,” said Crowe.
This respect for what has come before, translates into a desire of having a similar, compounding and meaningful impact on our community in continuation with what Wright believes is the rich and unique character of Statesboro.
“You see a lot of churches around here, they'll have the graveyard right next to it. And it's kind of a sobering thought that there's people that lived and died in the same area of where they grew up. But they wouldn't feel like their life was a waste,” he said.
We all experience, now maybe more than any other time in human history, the desire to be somewhere else. Wright feels that we are bombarded through messages on our screens that tell us there is always something, some place else that is better; a place that will alleviate your human discomforts.
One idea though, is that there is someplace better; it's just here under our noses and the labor of loving hands that want to build it. Even if only as potential, the power to create a satisfying life exists in your home as much as any other, and it is released like the energy expressed from a chemical reaction, through the processes of conversation and connection.
“In a smaller town, you have more options to actually build routes and have grounded relationships,” said Crowe.
Perhaps I’ve never lived in a community with such a quaint, aged face that boasts such an invigorated body, like that of Statesboro. Spend an evening sitting in on our city council and you will know that our leading community members are striving to preserve the soul of our town, through balancing its unique and somewhat contradicting vitality.
“I think Statesboro’s got this weird tension where it's this really hyper and energetic college atmosphere, but it's also one of the biggest recovery environments in the whole state, the whole nation,” Wright said. 
Wright says he has gotten to know a few residents from the Damascus House and is happy to be able to provide a place where folks in recovery can enjoy communal spaces without as many temptations, and bolster the connectivity that helps people in their battle against addiction.
Old and young, professionals, and individuals still figuring things out: it's a place where connection is forged by those conflicts of circumstance. It is fertile ground, perfect for those who are especially in need of a strong system of roots to plant their seeds, to turn towards the sun of knowledge beyond themselves, and bloom.
It is their hope, Wright and Crowe explained, that Two Story can always be a beacon for individuals seeking the challenge of personal development, to come and soak in through the vast collections of literature and convergence of minds, new perspectives.
“If you're not a reader, then you're not a thinker, and if you're not a thinker, then you can be easily manipulated,” said Crowe, continuing to describe her adoration for writers and their discoveries.
“The biggest 'AHA' moments of their entire life, we're able to appropriate that and bring it into our understanding and then go forward in our own life. And we're standing on that foundation, How incredible is that?” she said.
Though we spend copious amounts of time reading and scrolling on our phones, social media unsurprisingly does not carry the same wisdom that a novel typically does. Nor does it offer the same sort of understanding between two people that is felt through hearing each other's words.
“I think the average customer when they come in here, they just feel the impulse that this is a place to dwell. I want to bring my friend. I want to have a long conversation,” said Wright.
Everyone is hungry for connection, as Wright pointed out during our conversation, and for the short time that I’ve been a customer, I’m beginning to see that Two Story helps fulfill our community's need for those third places, independent of the larger institutions here.
“We’re a nexus for all of these college students to come through here, and then they're gonna go out and they're going to bring that with them, that experience,” said Crowe.
While significant effort has been put into creating an environment that is less rigid than a library, in the true spirit of a coffee shop and lounge, studying is often why students visit Two Story. Excitingly, Wright says that this fall, the upstairs rooms that are now serving as weekend Airbnbs will be available to reserve for group projects and study sessions, for people that are looking for a more comfortable and private work space.
But they’re also trying to reach beyond the student population, who are often getting the most enrichment out of the different communities in town; Wright is honored to work with frequent customers like the women at Esther’s Place, who provide support to other women in times of need through essential services and counseling.
Other key community businesses like Tormenta have welcomed Two Story, sampling their coffee for a local contest and even inviting the store to set up a booth at a game.
“We were just amazed at that hospitality,” said Wright.
And Two Story has shown a similar hospitality to many organizations in the community, offering space to campus ministries, musicians, sororities and people that have skills that they want to teach others.
“I hope that we’re a place where families grow up and grow old. I hope we’re a place where people bring their children and they then bring their children,” said Wright. “What we never will be is multi-millionaires.”
As long as the bills are paid and everyone can make an income, he says he’s alright with that.
The purpose, the motivation behind it all that Wright expressed, was to be a special place to every individual; to provide a physical space that a person will remember long after they leave, because they knew they were valued for more than the dollar sign attached to the coffee they bought.
He wants them to remember the genuine connections they made with staff and other customers and be able to say, “They knew me and they knew the types of questions I wrestled with and my darker moments. And the employees were able to kind of nudge me on a good book journey that would help me figure out some things.”
Note from the Author:
This piece is a little different than typical short form article I usually write to summarize city meetings or community events, but I was inspired to take a more personalized, narrative approach.
I’ve been learning to write as concisely as possible since starting my degree in journalism and I think there are times when I forget that there is joy to be had in stretching a story out. It would have been a longer-than-usual piece anyways; Trevor and Charlotte said a lot of things that really resonated with me. But I wanted to take the opportunity while I had the inspiration to flex the mental muscles that I’ve been resting for a while, and maybe even pass that spark along to someone else.
They made it easy by speaking so passionately about Two Story and I’m glad to know folks like them, who want to help people lead more fulfilling lives, are here in our community. That heartfelt dedication to our neighbors and the places we call home is why I wanted to be a journalist, and why I write for an outlet like Grice Connect. Special thanks to them for reminding me of that, and a special thank you to all of our readers.
-Ainslie Smith
