Holy Scrollies: A place for family, food, and faith

Brittany Moore says that several months ago, she and her husband Michael weren’t sure what direction God was leading their family in— only that He was telling them it was time for a change. The family including kids Nehemiah (6), Adelaide (4), and Josephine (2) moved to Salem from California several years ago. Michael was working as a police officer for the Salem Police Department, and Brittany, who is a writer, was self-publishing her books and tentatively exploring the idea of owning her own bookshop, though she and Michael weren’t sure if they could make one work in Salem.

Since then, Brittany says she responded to a Facebook post reaching out to the community asking what kind of businesses people felt Salem needed. She said many responses were excited about the idea of a bookstore café.

“I brought it to [Michael] and I was like ‘I don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing,’” she said. “He’s like ‘Well, I mean with that many people interested, let’s do it. If it’s meant to be; let’s pray about it and make sure this is what God wants us to do. Figure out what His intention is for it.’”

In the few short months since, the family has been busy praying, working, and getting set up for opening day of their new bookshop café—Holy Scrollies, which is now open and located on Fourth Street in Salem, next door to The Local. The grand opening was held on Oct. 24, with the Moores cutting the ribbon with the big Chamber of Commerce Shears, and welcoming fellow business owners from the Chamber and customers from the community into their doors.

Brittany says she and Michael want the bookshop café to be a place for everyone, where people can come in, eat, read, work, or relax. She said Michael came up with the name “Holy Scrollies” while they were discussing their vision for the business.

“He came up with the name; we’re just sitting there, kind of hanging out on our phones, and he goes ‘what about Holy Scrollies?’ and I’m like that is so quirky—it could work,” said Brittany. “It’s silly, it gets the Christian backing, and everything, but it’s subtle enough to where somebody who may not be a believer can still feel comfortable enough to come in. We want it to be a place for everybody, not just believers, or people who go to church three times a week. […] We wanted to be a place for people to come discover the Holy Spirit, and not even mean to—but come in, and feel that light surrounding them to the point that it causes a curiosity to bloom.”

Since opening, Brittany says the reception from the community has been good, but she’s hoping more people will realize that the business is not just a café, and not just a bookshop— rather, a place where the community can gather for a variety of reasons. Holy Scrollies even has a kid’s section, where parents can let their children play and hang out while the parents read, eat, work, or relax.

“We wanted to provide something where we could spread God’s love, and not feel like we’re pushing an agenda,” she said. “To where people can come in and enjoy themselves and have some good food, but primarily for the books.”

The businesses “quirky motto”, as Brittany put it, is “Come for the books, stay for the food”.

“We tell people, no, we’re not a restaurant, but yeah, we do have some pretty good food!” she said.

Scrollies.inside.jpg — Holy Scrollies is a bookstore café, featuring smash burgers, sodas in glass bottles, and most importantly, a variety of books.
Ben Johnson

The menu at Holy Scrollies includes smash burgers, fries, and sides, along with a variety of other goods, such as baked treats and soups. Michael makes the burgers, and Brittany bakes fresh sourdough bread for the business. Beverages include tea, seasonal drinks, and basic coffee. Brittany said she was not trying to compete with the specialty brews available across the street at Ashton’s Coffee Shop, but rather wanted to “lift up” all of Fourth Street. Regular fountain sodas are not available at Holy Scrollies, which instead offers more traditional sodas in glass bottles. The business also offers pickled and canned goods, and sports a nostalgic array of vintage candies and other treats.

As the business finds its footing in the community, and as Brittany and Michael develop the culture they want to see around their business, Brittany says she’s “planting seeds”—because God may lead people in ways they don’t expect.

“I just need that spark, for the Holy Spirit to grow, basically. Planting those seeds is what I call it,” said Brittany. “It’s not a dream I had. […] You never thought [Michael] would be cooking food, and here he is doing it! He’s like, ‘I was fine being a police officer’. Sometimes He calls you to do things that you never could have imagined doing in your life.”