Mercer Cribs: The Bro’s Den

Located at 994 Maple Street, the Bro’s Den has everything Mercer students Vince Cooley, Evan Manning and Matt Huston (and Maconites Kevin Mosby and Mitchel Wachtel) could possibly want out of a house.
“We chose that location because it was a large house and we have plenty of space,” Cooley said. He said that he also chose it because of how close the house is to Mercer’s campus and so he could live with his friends. Huston walks to school everyday, while Cooley and Manning like to bike.
The Bros decided to name their house after The Bear’s Den, which is just down the street.
“The best things about the house are the lofts in the bedrooms, the highline slack lining setup in the backyard, the flat roof for climbing up to read or hangout on, and the large rooms for having folks over,” Manning said.
The platform lofts are built into each bedroom. The Bro’s landlord had a lot of kids, and the only way they could have room for sleepovers was to build beds in the air, according to Wachtel.
The lofts house the Bros’ beds now, but the largest loft, located in the master bedroom, used to hold a home theatre. “We had a projector with a big screen and a stereo system, complete with pillows and beanbags,” Cooley said.
Under that same loft is now what the boys fondly refer to as The Futon Forest. “There are two futons and a television. We have our computer hooked up to it so that we can stream videos and things, and it has its own surround sound,” said Cooley.
The highline slack lining in the backyard is “basically like a tight-rope, but the width of a seatbelt, and slack instead of tight,” Cooley explained. “We used it probably two or three times a week. We also had it set up as a low-line as well.” The lining was set up by Mosby and Mercer alum Andrew Conner.
Huston said that one of his favorite parts of the house is the porch swing Mosby welded and built out of old golf cart parts. “It feels like you’re sitting in a golf cart, but it’s a porch swing,” Cooley interjected.
Though the house is convenient and fun for the Bros, there are some downsides. People knock on the door to “ask for money sometimes or ask for a ride across town at some inconvenient times, like three in the morning,” Cooley said. “Also, while it’s nice to have a lot of visitors, sometimes the house gets a little crowded, and it isn’t always the cleanest.”
“I’d say the good things outweigh the bad, though,” Cooley said.