Yes, The Press Book House's Cheralyn Coffey does actually have the surname Coffey, only with one e and a 'y' at the end.
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"As in "why not have a coffee," she jokes.
She and her husband Michael Coffey bought the Hunter Street cafe and second-hand bookshop in 2019. Before that she lived a wild life with many chapters. If you catch her on a slow day (unlikely) at The Press, she might just tell you a story or two, whether it's about falling asleep at the wheel, living on a rock farm or her sister (and hero) the paralympic champion, Kerrie-Ann King.
Coffey is originally from Newcastle. She's had a few partners and raised four kids. She returned to Newcastle in January 2012. She worked several jobs, working in government before she bought The Press.
"It was very stressful, and I used to come here every day for my coffee, have dad jokes with Murrie and Knives. I just loved it," Coffey recalls.
At the time, Coffey wasn't sleeping well and her mental health was suffering. She had an enormous responsibility in her work role. One night at 2am she was working and she stumbled across an ad with a picture of the inside of a coffee shop. The ad said a coffee shop was for sale in Newcastle's CBD. Coffey saw the chandelier and knew immediately it was The Press and that they had to buy it.
Murrie Harris and Ivy Ireland were the original owners of The Press, starting the shop in 2013. The simple little bookshop developed a great reputation for books, good coffee, quirky people and creative events in the heart of the city. They kept the menu simple, selling coffees and toasties.
After discussions with Coffey, Harris sold her the shop.
"It pretty much saved my life," she says. "We tried to keep the status quo. Apart from giving it a good dusting and a few more milk and syrup options."
They officially bought in July 2019, after a few months of red tape delays. She and her husband had always toyed with buying a business, "a sleepy old shop" where they could sit and read and a customer would come in.
But Coffey doesn't have much time to read, bar the one book a month she struggles to get through for the Press's "banned book club", held on the second Thursday of the month. (The next one is February 9.)
She laughs at the questions she gets about the books, 'what's the deal with the books?' or even better, 'what's the story with the books?'
"We want classic literature, Australian literature," Coffey says. "We're very particular, building gender, fem, philosophy, real actual indigenous Australian true history, rather than the candy-coated rubbish sold to us in primary school, and that sells so quickly."
In February of 2022 they received approval to serve alcohol, and The Press is now open after hours, Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 8pm, giving Newcastle's CBD a nice alternative to loud restaurants and pubs. It's a cozy space to have a libation and cheap and cheerful "night bites", marinated olives or warmed lemon-pepper peanuts. Hot beverages are available as well, making it a welcoming space for all ages.
"You don't buy a second-hand bookshop to become rich. I want to go out places and have a little nibble," Coffey says of why they offer simple, scrumptious evening snacks.
As they do during the day, they also offer pastries, toasties and pies.
They use Hunter Valley wines. Their cocktails are vegan including, of course, the Presso Martini. They rotate local brewers; they just switched to Shout Brewing after having Grainfed and Six Strings. Their gins and vodkas are from the Carrington-based Earp Brothers.
Like it's always done, The Press occasionally hosts special evening events. They now do open-mics on first and third Thursday of the month.
"It's getting really interesting. We're getting young kids playing music; we'll get kids coming down from the conservatorium. Young Nico runs it," Coffey says.
(Nico Wand is one of the eight employees, and he also worked at The Press when Harris owned it.)
It's been almost four years since the Coffeys bought the coffee shop, and it's busier than ever. Coffey has plenty up her sleeve in 2023. Watch the space for a Monday night pop-up dining experience, or just come round for some good old-fashioned stories.
