Where To Go

After You Buy

That Book From Storytellers Books

When you walk out of The Storyteller's Book Store, don’t go straight home, turn to the right as you go out our door and follow the sidewalk up the street to find charming places to sit and maybe eat or shop.

Just on the other side of our building is the A La Mode Ice Cream Cafe. Think ice cream and gelato! Bet you’ve never sat in a saddle and read a book while eating ice cream or gelato.

And just next door to A La Mode is Alphabet Soup Educational Supplies & More, a store with educational supplies for young learners and children’s books. If we don't have a children's book in stock, they just might.

Further down White Street, beyond the parking lot on the right is The Wake Forest Coffee Company, locally owned and creatively operated. And for you, a satisfying place to drink delicious coffee and get started reading that book you just bought. 

Or maybe it’s lunch time. The most peaceful place in Wake Forest is The Old English Tea Room & Gift Shoppe. Delicious light lunches and desserts and many choices for tea, hot or cold.

 

But wait. What if you have a friend with you but you really want to get to reading that book but don’t want to be impolite? Walk down to the Sunflower Studio on Jones Street. Sit in the porch swing and read while your friend goes inside and is drawn in to the offerings by talented local artists. Paintings, jewelry, post cards of the artists’ work and more.

Perhaps with that book in hand your mind drifts to a big comfortable reading chair. Red Door Interiors & Antiques is your place. Come inside and browse sofas, chairs, desks and so much more. Don't find what you want? There's another choice for antiques and such, The Old Magnolia Trading Company, just a few doors away from the Red Door.

Maybe you are ready for some serious time reading alone. Take a walk up North Main Street to the Wake Forest College Birthplace. It's easy to find; start at the bookstore, go through the underpass, cross the street to the right, and follow the sidewalk. Enjoy the lawn or benches and in season, the flower garden. History buffs will enjoy reading the historical plaques about the founding of the college, now Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

But don't you dare leave the downtown for that walk down tree lined North Main St. with its historic houses without stopping at the North Carolina Specialty Store. Grab a bag of candy, some offerings that people of a certain age will remember from childhood. It's located a few doors down from the coffee shop.

Now you've spent the day in Historic Wake Forest. Hungry again? Consider going back downtown to Backfins Crabhouse, back in the same building as the bookstore. But be warned. The guys who run it are serious sports fans. There are so many big widescreen TVs that Bubba can keep his head pointed toward his wife and pretend he is listening to the stuff about the kids. Okay, okay, that's a bit stereotypical, women are sports fans too. But you're really there for the food- it's terrific!

That's not everything you can find in downtown Wake Forest. And if you are from out of town, consider a day trip to Wake Forest. If you are from Raleigh, save the gas money by using the bus from Moore Square that goes directly to downtown Wake Forest. Find more information about the bus by using the above link to the Tea Room.

Of course no trip to Wake Forest would be complete without a visit to The Cotton Company, the renovated warehouse filled now with artist studios, shops and with space to rent for your special celebration or event. An added bonus for you right now - if you want to know more about historic Wake Forest, click on the Cotton Company link and find out about our history and some of the efforts to revitalize downtown. It's okay if you put your book down long enough for this.

 Book store, coffee shop, tea room, ice cream, antiques, food varieties, candy and more. Discover historic downtown Wake Forest today!