Coffee shops, historically, have been home for individuals to come together in the name of new thought and expression. Nestled in the heart of downtown Starkville lies Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar – one of the town’s local coffee shops.
Through over 10 years of business, Nine-Twentynine has become a staple in the art and music community on MSU’s campus and in the greater Starkville area.
As a venue, Nine-Twentynine began by holding events such as bridal showers, wedding receptions and baby showers, offering their own catering as well as their coffee.
Now, the coffee shop is more varied in the types of events hosted, while still sticking to its roots.
From jazz musicians performing over a mid-morning brunch to local artists setting up their own booths and vending their wares, Nine-Twentynine makes space under their roof for everyone in the art scene. A wide variety of MSU student organizations have also found a place at Nine-Twentynine. Fraternities and sororities have even held date parties and formals in the coffee shop.
Taggert King has been working at Nine-Twentynine for five years, with four of those years as the general manager.
King said one of his favorite parts about Nine-Twentynine is watching local artists develop routines with Nine-Twentynine playing a crucial role – setting aside a specific day of the week to come in, grab a drink and work on creating.
“I come to work every day seeing an environment where all these artists thrive,” King said.
For the past seven years, Nine-Twentynine has hosted a winter market known as Mississippi Made – a call for artists to sign up and sell their work in the central cafe area of Nine-Twentynine. It is completely free for artists to join, and the vendors are allowed to keep 100% of all profits they earn.
Taggert King said he believes this is the event that first and truly opened Nine-Twentynine up to the local art community of Starkville. Many of the artists who first engage with Mississippi Made frequently return to Nine-Twentynine throughout the year to fill the roster for more markets and pop-ups.
One of these local artists is Dorrie Wu, a resident of Starkville for the past eight years. Wu’s mediums of choice are primarily watercolor and ink paintings, with the occasional acrylic work.
Wu has been drawing, painting and engaging with art her entire life – stemming from both her mother and grandfather being artists themselves. Art became a creative and emotional outlet for Wu.
Wu’s first experience selling her work was last year at Starkville’s first Midnight Bizarre arts market in 2022. Since then, Wu has been a consistent vendor at several Starkville markets.
The success of that first booth experience was a massive encouragement and caused Wu to define her style and cement her name in the local art community.
At Nine-Twentynine, Wu showcased her work and has been a part of several events including Mississippi Made, the Black Sheep Arts Market and the Figures and Feelings exhibition.
Her favorite part of vending, Wu found, is the ability to witness her art make someone’s day a bit better.
“My work – something I’ve been told a lot by people – is that it’s a ‘representation of joy’ and that’s what I’m aiming for. I’ve tried to have my booth radiate positive energy and it seems to be going pretty well,” Wu said.
Wu said she sees Nine-Twentynine as a place of openness, willing and accepting of everybody, and that artists feel drawn to it for this feeling.
The idea of seeking love of expression and real representation is where Rosemary Jones’ fashion business, Pink Plaid Collective, originates from.
Rosemary Jones is a Starkville native and local artist. Jones has been running Pink Plaid Collective for four years.
Clothes have always been a major part of Jones’ passions in life. Jones said she can still remember the “treasure hunts” she and her mother would venture out upon in clothing stores. As she grew and matured, that fun passion became centered towards celebration and love for the body.
Once Jones learned how to sew over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she felt that “everything just kind of opened up” to her.
Since then, she has been doing pop-ups at Nine-Twentynine, including three fashion shows and even a fashion art gallery.
In Jones’ eyes, Nine-Twentynine serves as a blank canvas in a way that other venues and businesses in Starkville do not.
“It’s beautiful the way they turn it around and say, ‘It’s yours to create with.’ That can’t be said for all businesses,” Jones said.
However, Nine-Twentynine does not only offer its services to artists; the coffee shop also creates a stage for musicians.
Local band, Bored to Tears, has played live in the basement of Nine-Twentynine several times.
Wallace St. Paul, lead singer and guitarist for Bored to Tears, said that Nine-Twentynine is far more accessible and welcoming of new acts than many other venues in the Starkville area.
“Other venues, a lot of them, it’s just hard to get a show there because they’re always booked for months in advance. But, at Nine-Twentynine, it’s easy to get a show,” St. Paul said. “It’s really fun to play a show and people love going there.”
St. Paul said the two-floor layout of Nine-Twentynine is what sets it apart as one of his favorite venues to perform at.
“It’s always a really great time. I feel like it’s a lot more intimate than other venues because we’re not on a stage or anything; we’re all just in the basement together,” St. Paul said.
Rabia Siddiqui is another local artist and is also a senior art major. Siddiqui is an interesting case in that they have been the one showcasing their work at events as well as the one behind the scenes planning the events.
A deep-rooted desire to create more exhibition and tabling opportunities for local artists in Starkville is what spurred Siddiqui to seek this combination role.
“I could curate an entire space for people. So, as an event planner, that is a big key feature for me, but as a vendor, I get to enjoy people. I can interact and create a community through that,” Siddiqui said.
For Siddiqui, playing both roles in these events allows them to become acquainted with people and understand them in a professional capacity. 
Siddiqui has been involved in Mississippi Made, Midnight Bizarre and many pop-up events at Nine-Twentynine, alongside Rosemary Jones of Pink Plaid Collective.
As for why Nine-Twentynine attracts local artists and musicians, Taggert King said that at the core, it is the atmosphere and people of Nine-Twentynine that seal the deal.
“We want to have the people working behind the bar that have the kindest hearts and are the most loving sort of people that we have,” King said. “I think that, by having that sort of criteria into hiring people, we have created an environment that anybody can feel comfortable with.”