Three common themes – love, laughter, and coffee – connect several local ladies each Thursday morning at Sylvia’s in downtown Eatonton.
Opened just over a year ago, the popular coffee shop attached to the Georgia Writers Museum typically hosts between a half dozen to 15 or so women in an informal “coffee klatch,” a title that some embrace and others disdain.
Regardless, their presence represents at least part of the culmination of a dream for Diana and Michael Homeier, who opened Sylvia’s just over a year ago.
“This is exactly what we envisioned Sylvia’s to be. Not just a place you can run in, grab a coffee, and run out, although you can sure do that, too,” Michael Homeier said. “But we have tables and chairs to have people sit down and enjoy coming here and spending time together. We love to see people here and welcome anyone to come and visit and stay awhile.”
The group is informally led by local historic preservation specialist Lynn Romine, who had her 11-year-old niece with her, visiting from Tampa.
Romine pointed out the coffee club echoes a similar group from the latter half of the 20th century that met at Doc Connally’s downtown Eatonton drugstore before moving to Shopper’s Pharmacy once the original location on North Jefferson Avenue closed.
She explained that after Dr. Connally retired in the late ‘80s and Shopper’s bought him out, he worked with Mike Faulk there to carve out a space with a couple of tables from the original drugstore and a coffeemaker on the shelf, with instant cream and sugar available.
“So, the people would all come in, and they still had a spot to meet and talk over coffee down at Shopper’s,” Romine recalled. “Mike Faulk deserves a lot of credit for that because he could’ve used that space for displays and to sell things. He kept that original group going into the 1990s. I remember going there with my mom and dad sometimes.”
Today’s coffee club in Eatonton starts at 10 a.m. on Thursdays and lasts about an hour. The conversation typically ranges from the trivial to local goings-on to emotional support in a welcoming environment.
Susan Chase arrived in Eatonton from New Hampshire about a year ago after doing extensive research on moving to Georgia to be closer to her daughter in Savannah and her niece in Atlanta.
She said she couldn’t be happier with her decision to move here or with being invited to join the group by her friend Joanne Raatz, a longtime Eatonton resident.
“Immediately, I just felt at home, really at home. And I’ve already got such a wonderful group of friends here. I never would have expected it,” Chase said. And it’s not superficial; it’s almost like a group therapy atmosphere sometimes. If there’s some issue, health or family or whatever, it’s so nice to have a support system of nonjudgmental friends.”
Last year, prior to the coffee club’s formation in November, one of its members had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
After going through all the treatments, complete with setbacks and victories, she was finally declared cancer-free, so the entire group attended a comedy show at The Plaza with her as a show of solidarity and support.
“As a newbie to the group, I just want to say they’re the most welcoming, wonderful, loving women,” said Laura Gardner, who has been on the Putnam side of Lake Oconee since 2007 and moved there permanently during the Covid crisis.
She and her husband recently purchased a historic home on North Jefferson Avenue.
“I mean, when I walked in, it was a little scary to go into a new venture, but these women really make you feel quite at home and not afraid because their smiles are genuine,” she added.
Sisters Libby Gregory and Patricia Gregory Wilson agree the weekly informal get-togethers are good for keeping spirits high while receiving occasional support and encouragement.
“I got involved because of my sister. And it’s funny because I don’t know that I would be involved in a crowd like this any other way,” Libby admitted. “But you know, it’s just the wisdom and love that I feel here. I mean, this morning, I was feeling tired. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I just didn’t know if I wanted to go today, but I’m so glad now that I did.”
Raatz said Patricia provided her introduction to the group and admitted her first response to the invitation was, “No, that’s too early.”
She soon relented, though, and now admits she’s a regular.
“I finally got here and had a blast," she said.
Beyond making friends through the coffee club, Romine said she also had to “brag” about them as caring, involved citizens.
“If you look around the table, every single woman sitting at this table is also involved in something in the community. Whether it’s the arts, the butterfly garden, Mothers Against Crime, or the museum. I mean, they’re just all involved,” Romine said. “So, it’s not just that they’re interesting people; they’re giving to the community. That’s what gets me emotional. The whole thing is that you think about all these new people moving in here, and they want to help make things better.”
Homeier said he and Diana enjoy the ladies’ weekly visits, calling them “a lot of fun.” He added he likes Sylvia’s being thought of as “kind of like a town hub” to help residents connect and stay connected.
“We never wanted this to be just a window along the street where you just get a coffee and run off. We like the fact that people come in and go, but we like the fact they come in and stay, too," he said.