Conversations over Coffee

Is there anything better than heartfelt conversation shared over freshly brewed coffee? A best friend, a stranger, is doesn’t matter who. What matters is the precious human experience of two souls meeting together through stories and feelings.

At House of Joy, this is one of the things that matters the most to us. We pride ourselves on creating a welcoming and soft space where you are protected from the harsh realities of the outside world and can wander through bookshelves and talk to people you never knew you would meet.

Since opening, many different and wonderful people have come into our bookshop to browse and ended up creating a beautiful memory built on community and joy. They come for a peek and stay for the conversation. Volunteering at this family-owned creative hub in Colchester has bought me so much peace and faith in humanity, we are all dying for connection in this disenfranchised world, and House of Joy makes it happen

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I’d like to share some of the conversations that have happened in House of Joy these past couple of months that have had the most impact on me, the conversations that I have been a part of that have kept the passion for community and books alive within me. All names have been changed for privacy.

· A slow Thursday afternoon soundtracked by Olivia Dean. Not much was happening within the shop, our resident writer was in writing in her notebook and I was doing admin work on the laptop. Then a lady (we’ll call her Sandra) comes in with a passionate declaration of…

‘I’ve missed my bus! Can I look through the books here while I wait?’ and there, our story starts.

Of course I said yes and we continued to speak about the pains of public transport while she slowly walked around the room carefully reading the covers of each book. Then, another person came in, and by person, I mean a dog! A lovely little border terrier, with puppy-dog eyes and grey -sprinkled fur. Their owner (Linda) came in behind, with a purple cardigan and well-worn boots. She said her dog had insisted that they come in and I smiled.

She walked over to our resident writer and began to ask about her life and the books she had written, a conversation that Sandra and I listened intently to as we heard of the marvellous characters she had created and why. Sandra took a seat to listen, a copy of one of her new books still clutched in her hand and she was enraptured by the stories she was hearing.

Then (and I’m sure you know what’s coming next), another lady came in (we’ll call her Naomi!) and asked me for a coffee with oat milk which I started to prepare. As I prepared the filter machine, she told me that she’d seen our Instagram and had wanted to come in from the moment she’d seen it.

“That’s brilliant!” I smiled. “I’m so glad you did!”

As I poured her coffee and shook the oat milk, she began to tell me about herself. She is a mum, ex-yoga teacher, chronic illness survivor. It was fascinating, and I was touched that she felt comfortable opening up to me. While she was talking to me, our resident writer, Linda, Sandra, and the dog began to listen as well and joined in with their own thoughts and anecdotes. We laughed, we reflected, we comforted each other. It was lovely. Five women who were all strangers, connecting though shared experiences. It felt magical. It felt beautiful. It felt like what House of Joy was meant to be.

· Tuesday morning. Bright sunlight. Two coffees. Two writers.

Two lovely women came in for a coffee and sat at the front of the shop. Fleetwood Mac playing quietly in the background. I sat reading my book and their words floated around the room. They were both published authors discussing their latest ideas and experiences within the industry. It was fascinating. They started talking about wanting to read ‘Motherthing’ by Ainslie Hogarth which I’ve already read. I said that it was a good book, slightly creepy and powerful. They turned to me and we began to talk about our favourite books. I asked about their novels, they asked me about myself. I told them that I was an aspiring author to which their eyes lit up and told me that they can’t wait to buy my book of the shelf one day.

This was such an inspirational and empowering conversation, and I will always remember it.

· Wednesday lunchtime and a fedora-topped elderly man came in and headed to the non-fiction section of the bookshop. I smiled and said hello and he replied with a strong French accent that took me by surprise! He reached for a Joan Didion book and asked me if I’ve read any of her work, I replied that I have. We spoke about how amazing her prose is and he told me that he used to teach some of her work in France. We chatted about his life in France and his life here in Colchester. He wrote down some book recommendations for me, and I for him. Two generations sharing written word that made us feel something. Is there anything more beautiful?

House of Joy is more than a bookshop, it’s a safe space for people from all walks of life to journey through many lives via written word, enjoy a drink made specially for them, and meet people that they never would have crossed paths with if they hadn’t have come into our shop.

So what are you waiting for? You never know what or who you’ll find in House of Joy!

- Kalena