The man at the next table didn't come sit with me. I invited him. He stayed where he was. But he talked, about the city, about this neighborhood, about what it feels like to be somewhere like this.

His name is George. We were at The Third Place in Raleigh, NC, a coffee shop whose name says everything about what it's trying to be.

This is the last field recording of Season 1. It felt right that it ended here, and like this. Sometimes the table is yours and someone pulls up a chair. Sometimes they stay where they are and you talk across the room. Both of those are something.

The Third Place — Raleigh, NC: http://thirdplaceraleigh.com/

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From the Studio

This episode is part of The Table Is Yours, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance.

Leave a voice message or reflection

The Letterbox

I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it.

Email me at: storytellingpods@gmail.com

Find the House

• Subscribe to our newsletter: https://storyhousestudios.substack.com/
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Bryan has been grinding beans near my table most of the afternoon. I didn't know yet that he built the place. He and his wife Judy have been together a long time. At some point, they decided they wanted to make something — a community space, the kind a neighborhood actually needs. Willow House is what came from that decision.

We talked about all of it: how they got here, what it takes to keep it going, and what it means to hold a space like this for other people. He was both overwhelmed and genuinely, quietly grateful. That feeling — the weight of a thing and the love of it at the same time — is something I think about a lot.

This is the last conversation from my day at Willow House. It felt like the right one to end on.

Willow House — Raleigh, NC: https://willowhousecoffee.com

The Table Is Yours is a Story House production. New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

---

From the Studio

This episode is part of The Table Is Yours, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance.

Leave a voice message or reflection

The Letterbox

I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it.

Email me at: storytellingpods@gmail.com

Find the House

• Subscribe to our newsletter: https://storyhousestudios.substack.com/
• Have a seat on The Porch: http://storyhousestudio.org/community
• Support my work buying me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/storyhousestudio

I was at my table at Willow House when I noticed a woman nearby. She was there representing a cause close to her heart — raising awareness around child abuse. She was already talking to me from where she was standing.

So I invited her over.

Her name is Mariah. And it didn’t take long to realize she and I were doing the same thing from different sides of the room. She was inviting people into a conversation they might not have started on their own. So was I. She pulled up a chair.

Willow House — Raleigh, NC: https://willowhousecoffee.com/

The Table Is Yours is a Story House production. New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

---

From the Studio

This episode is part of The Table Is Yours, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance.

Leave a voice message or reflection

The Letterbox

I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it.

Email me at: storytellingpods@gmail.com

Find the House

• Subscribe to our newsletter: https://storyhousestudio.org/subscribe
• Have a seat on The Porch: http://storyhousestudio.org/community
• Support my work buying me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/storyhousestudio