Joe Jonas Wants You to Help Save Williamsburg Coffee Shop Buddies | Eater NY
"A Brooklyn coffee shop at 150 Grand Street at Berry Street, co-owned by Rachel Nieves (a Puerto Rican native New Yorker) and her boyfriend Taylor Nawrocki, opened in 2021. Nieves posted a TikTok saying she has to close later this year because of a rent hike—she was told her lease was going to end in six to seven months—and that a next-door condo is going to open a coffee shop, which "would have siphoned away customers even if she could stay." In the video she cries and says, "This is gentrification," adding: "What most of you know as Williamsburg now is this annoying place you fucking hate or you fucking love. But it was a predominantly a Puerto Rican neighborhood before all the gentrification wiped so many people away. So for me, what it meant for me to start a new business was this fresh start of, 'You know what? We’re not going anywhere. We’re here. We’re staying. We can succeed. We can build our businesses. We can have our community here.'" The shop is known for its coquitolatte, a take on the Puerto Rican eggnog-like drink. Nieves also says, "I won’t regret posting this because it’s important to see raw emotion," and: "it’s important to see the fucking shit that goes on, what people have to push through and people have to deal with, why native New Yorkers roll their eyes at gentrification or any big city, why it fucking affects people deeply. It uproots families, homes, businesses, but we’re not going anywhere, I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be stronger and I’m going to inspire people. And that’s all I want to do." The video went viral and pop star Joe Jonas amplified the plea, posting, "I saw this amazing video, heartbreaking video and I want to go support. And I think you should, too." Those posts led to long lines and increased sales, and the shop's website notes delays on coffee-bean shipments "due to high demand from all your support and love." In follow-up TikToks Nieves expressed appreciation—"It’s a scary feeling," she says—and reiterated that "vulnerability is power." The story illustrates a growing pattern of independently owned food businesses using social media to rally customers and try to avoid closure amid rising costs and gentrification." - Nadia Chaudhury
