Welcome to The Noteboook Cafe and our shop Millie McKeever's Vintage & Home Decor

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Built in 1875, this historic bank building houses The Notebook Cafe and Millie McKeever's Vintage & Home Decor. Located at 201 Antique City Drive, Walnut, Iowa, it's a place you won't want to miss.
Welcome! We're glad you're here. This beautiful historic 1875 bank building is home to The Notebook Cafe and Millie McKeever's Vintage & Home Decor. When guests enter the unique corner entry, they are greeted with 16' ceilings, 8' windows, original hardwood floors, and chandeliers. Guests also love the cathedral ceiling bank vault now turned into Esther's tea-for-two room.

The Notebook Cafe has been offering cafe brunches and lunches, devotions for women, and tours of the restored historic 1875 bank building since 2017. Our 149-year-old doors have welcomed over 3,000 women to our beautiful building in the quaint little town of Walnut, Iowa. 

The Notebook Cafe's shop, Millie McKeever's Vintage & Home Decor, is also located in the building. Named after the owner Shelly Thompson's grandmother, the cozy shop offers select vintage items paired with new home decor. Our much loved pure soy candles from The 5th Street Candle Co. are hand crafted from family recipes handed down through generations from Millie McKeever's family and loved throughout the United States. Guests can also enjoy a coffee, latte, tea, or gourmet hot cocoa from our coffee bar. This unique 149-year-old building will inspire you with ideas for your own home.

We're Open by appointment until our Pre-Sale Antique Walk June 12th and 13th

It’s almost time for the annual Walnut Antique Walk on June 19, 20, and 21, the weekend when more than 200 vendors from across the country fill Walnut, Iowa with incredible antiques and vintage finds.

Before the big weekend arrives, I want to give my sweet customers a special first look. The shop will be overflowing…every nook, cranny, shelf, and corner filled with vintage treasures, home décor, and unique pieces ready to find their new homes.

I’ll be opening the shop doors of our 1875 bank building early for a special pre‑sale walk on June 12 & 13. It’s a relaxed, quiet chance to browse before the crowds arrive and discover the pieces that speak to you.

I am already preparing the shop…I can’t wait to share all the new finds with you.

Don’t forget Esther’s Southern Sweet Peach Tea will be available at our coffee bar along with our other favorite beveragesl

Learn more here. 

We ship our vintage treasures right to your door.

Here's the best part...even if you can’t stroll down historic Main Street to visit us in person, we’ve made sure the experience still finds its way to you. Every item we ship is wrapped with the same care and nostalgia that fills our old bank…using vintage papers, old book pages, even sewing patterns become part of the story. Opening a package from us feels like stepping inside the building itself, hearing the creak of the old floors, and catching the scent of history.

We open our doors only a few times a year, but our shelves are always brimming online. So keep an eye out for our special shop dates, but in the meantime…let us bring a little piece of our charming 1875 bank right to your doorstep.

Because some treasures are just too lovely to keep locked away.

Check our our Facebook page often for our vintage treasures available for sale/shipping.
The 1875 Hinckley Boarding Room Journals 
A Journal Series of Faith Crafted from Time Itself 
By Shelly Thompson
Restoring and owning an 1875 historic bank building…with its old boarding rooms…has stirred my imagination in ways I truly never expected. I often picture the men and women who once lived here. Their struggles, their faith, their perseverance. I imagine opening the old vault and finding their journals secretly tucked away—pages worn, ink faded, but their stories still alive.

From that imagining came Clara Whitmore.

Her journals are fictional, yes...but they are rooted in the very real faith, courage, and resilience of those who came before us. Through her eyes, I can step back into a time when life was simpler but not easier…a time when community mattered, families leaned on one another, church was central to all activities, and faith shaped daily decisions.

So far from where we are today.

Sometimes, to understand how to stand firm today, we need to look back and remember what anchored those who walked before us.

Clara’s journals invite us to do exactly that.

They remind us that God has always been faithful. That ordinary people have always faced extraordinary challenges. That hope has always had to be chosen. And that our own lives…for a time such as this…are part of a much bigger story God is still writing.

My prayer is that as you read these journals, you’ll feel a spark of encouragement. A renewed sense of purpose. A reminder that your faith matters in this moment of history just as much as theirs did in their time.

So settle into your favorite chair and visit Walnut, Iowa, in a way you’ve never experienced. Walk its dirt streets. Hear its quiet stories. Feel the steady presence of God woven through the ordinary lives of ordinary people. Because that’s where He often does His greatest work.

Small places. Simple moments. Willing hearts.

He is still drawing us near today. He is still writing our stories. And I believe these journals…though imagined…can awaken hope and strengthen faith for the days we are living in now.

If we lean in with hearts turned toward God, I believe Clara Whitmore’s words will uplift us…for such a time as this.

I don’t yet know exactly how these 1875 journals fit into the calling God has placed on my heart, but I know this…
I am meant to write them.

And perhaps…you are meant to read them.
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For God’s glory,
Shelly
The Hinckley 1875 Boarding Rooms
A Unique Place to Tour on Historic Main Street, Walnut, Iowa
There’s a hidden gem tucked into the heart of the Midwest.

A place that feels a little warmer and welcoming, time with friends lingers a little longer, and cherished memories seem to gather as naturally as the sunset.

Walnut, Iowa’s 1875 historic bank building stands proudly on beautiful Main Street, where brick roads still reign and the rush of modern life fades into the background. All around, sweeping fields of America’s breathtaking farmland and prairies embrace this quiet, welcoming community.

Let us welcome you to Walnut, Iowa — a sweet, nostalgic town that has been greeting visitors with genuine Midwest hospitality since 1869. Some days, you'll find our shop open...you can step inside our beautifully restored 1875 bank building, enjoy a cozy drink from our lobby coffee bar, or reserve The Gathering Room for brunch, lunch, or pie and coffee. We’re happy to host your small group, Bible study, book club, birthday celebration, or help you plan a fun girls’ day or even a full weekend in Walnut.

Just one mile off Interstate 80, perfectly positioned between Omaha and Des Moines, lies this historic hamlet where treasure hunters, antique lovers, and day‑trippers can spend hours discovering that perfect vintage find to take home.

On Main Street stands the beautifully restored 1875 brick bank building…now housing Millie McKeever’s Vintage & Home Decor and The Gathering Room in The Notebook Cafe, a true Cinderella story. The building once abandoned, has been lovingly brought back to life. Inside, you’ll find a vintage and home décor shop, a welcoming coffee bar, The Gathering Room for brunch or lunch reservations, and exquisitely restored Boarding Rooms available for tours.

Step inside and you’ll feel transported to another era, surrounded by vintage finds paired with select home decor, delicious food, and stories of Walnut’s rich history.
This spring make Walnut, Iowa your destination, whether for a day trip or a cozy weekend getaway. It’s a place where backroads encourage you to set your phone aside, sunsets invite you to pause in awe, and the quiet beauty of the Midwest reminds you what it feels like to truly unwind.

For more information, email [email protected]. We’ll send details on things to do in and around Walnut, plus recommendations on places to stay if you’d like to extend your visit.

Fall in love with Walnut…where the real treasures you take home are the memories you make.

Millie McKeever’s Vintage & Home Decor

The Notebook Cafe | The Gathering Room

The Hinckley 1875 Boarding Room Tours
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For more information or reservations contact [email protected]
Books
​Books by The Notebook Cafe including our best seller 'Heart of a Warrior' - A Legacy of Faith by Shelly Thompson. Now in it's sixth printing, readers rave about 'Heart of a Warrior'. Karen Abercrombie, Miss Clara in the movie War Room, says this about 'Heart of a Warrior'...Shelly welcomes the reader in and she teaches, encourages and inspires through her own personal experiences. Because Shelly is such a gifted writer, you get to experience a forty-day journey that is masterfully painted with beautiful and rich imagery that honors the word of God as it stirs up the Warrior's heart!  This travel adventure back to the neighborhood of 5th street is sure to give you hope and encouragement. Click here for more information.
Gathering Spaces in our 1875 historical bank building
This beautiful historic 1875 bank building offers some unique options for gathering. Our Gathering Room offers guests a beautiful space with a 8' harvest table and fireside seating, or our Boarding Room Kitchen provides a feel for the era of 1875, but with all the modern conveniences. Guests also love 'Esther's Tea Room' our repurposed 148-year-old bank vault that is perfect for tea for two (or three). We can provide a light cafe lunch, or you can bring your own food/dessert in and enjoy. Call your friends and set up a meeting date soon! We're also the perfect place for your girlfriends Birthday parties, Bible Study groups, business meeting...or just a relaxing place to catch up and enjoy time with friends. It's always a good time to gather. Click here for more information.​
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About us.
Shelly Thompson is the Publisher for The Notebook Cafe -- Inspired Words for the Journey, and owner of Millie McKeever's Vintage & Home Decor with 201 Coffee Bar located in the quaint historic town of Walnut, Iowa. 'The Cafe' offers a place where women gather to share a time of fellowship, devotion, and a tour the circa 1875 historical bank building restored by Shelly and her husband. Shelly is the author of two books. Entwined; now in its fourth printing; and Heart of a Warrior; in its sixth printing. Taking a giant leap of faith Shelly left the corporate world in 2015 to pursue a dream God gave her of developing a monthly inspirational faith based online reading café of words and encouragement. Today, The Notebook Café reaches over one million people each month. Shelly has also developed The Notebook Cafe Woman's Conference and the women's retreat held in Branson, Missouri each November. Shelly and her husband, Dave, spend time with their family and many weekends working on home renovation projects…the current project is a Boarding Room Airbnb, The Hinckley, in their 1875 bank building in Walnut, Iowa.