Pike House - Johnson City, TN

A Coffee Shop Mystery

When I travel, I love to support local businesses and I love to discover new spots. I wrote off Johnson City too quickly last night, and thought there’s nothing interesting in this little city on the far eastern side of Tennessee. Sure, it’s been in songs like Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel” and over 652 other lyrics, by over 200 artists according to Lyrics.com, but when we drove around on a bleary winter day in February, it didn’t seem like there was much happening.

Like many of the downtown cities across the country, they had a few cute shops and restaurants in their city center, but there were just as many empty buildings with windows boarded up, too. But, what I learned is that you should never be quick to judge, because creativity and mystery are often just beneath the surface. I was looking for a local coffee shop and Google Maps showed me a shop that didn’t pop up on YELP and of course, I was curious. I thought, I’ll go check it out and if it looks strange, I’ll just go to the one I went to before.

Glad I went on this little Monday morning adventure, because what I stumbled into was nothing like what I would expect. Pike House coffee shop is off the beaten path in a strip that looks like it is part industrial, part commercial. The exterior has this simple black-and-white painting that tells you this is the place you need to enter. When you walk in, you're greeted by a coffee roasting machine and then to the right is the counter. Just behind the counter to the left is a coffin and you get the feeling that you are in this “darkness” and “mystery” themed space. It didn’t scare me off, but rather made me even more curious.

I ordered my latte and the barista asked if I had been here before, and of course I said, “No,” so he directed me to go beyond the coffin down the hallway, through the doors and to the left there would be a seating space. OK - I thought. That makes sense, since the little coffee shop up front only had a few chairs by a small counter by the window.

As I walked around the corner, I came into this big open room with an incredible dark, old, mansion vibe, complete with a balcony, fireplace, and flickering old street lamps that made you feel like you were walking into the living room of Edgar Allen Poe’s house. An old typewriter sits on the coffee table next to a very old Victorian couch. Haunting music plays quietly in the background and the space seems set for aspiring writers, playwrights, and directors to get into a mysteriously creative mood.

It set the mood for me while I drank my almond milk latte. I was thinking this would be an excellent space for one of the Old Town Player’s murder mystery productions. Too bad we didn’t have something like this in my hometown of Lilburn, GA. But, this space definitely had the vibe of mystery, creativity, and curiosity!

I loved it!

Maybe this is why over 200 artists have named “Johnson City, TN” in their songs because it holds something much deeper, mysterious,and creative within its city’s boundaries. In the heart of the Appalachian mountains, this little city holds much more than meets the naked eye. It’s worth wandering into and discovering spaces that are off the beaten path, like Pike House coffee roasters.

That’s why we should be more curious about the places we visit and the things we see. There’s always much more under the facade places, spaces, and people. Hope you, too, will grow more curious and search for the creativity of people all around you! Look a little deeper this week! I know you’ll find much more than you were expecting!