Over 7 million folks have seen a viral video of Buddies Espresso proprietor Rachel Nieves sharing her heartwrenching plea to her small enterprise in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as she faces a doubtlessly troubling monetary dilemma.
Regardless of having a loyal buyer base, branding and bagging her personal beans, and even getting a profile within the New York Occasions, Nieves finds herself getting priced out of Williamsburg. As a local New Yorker and Puerto Rican girl working in a traditionally Puerto Rican a part of Brooklyn, she finds it notably heartbreaking. “That is gentrification,” she advised viewers on TikTok, explaining that her storefront could shut in 6–7 months as a consequence of lease will increase and competitors from bigger companies.
She and her associate (in enterprise and in life), Taylor Nawrocki, began their espresso enterprise in the course of the pandemic and are decided to maintain it going regardless of monetary setbacks in an economic system that’s more and more tough for small companies to outlive in. With tears in her eyes, she stated, “I’m simply right here attempting to point out what laborious, trustworthy work appears like, and you’ll achieve success and never step on folks. I nonetheless actually consider that with my coronary heart. To achieve success, you don’t need to step on folks.”
Within the extremely uncooked 6-minute TikTok, she defined that competitors from one other espresso vendor opening close by with extra capital backing will put further strain on her enterprise: “So many massive firms or massive companies that come right here. It’s like predatory habits to hunt out a small enterprise and plop the fuck proper subsequent to them… I’m going to proceed to work laborious, I’m going to proceed to point out up…” Her impassioned refusal to surrender captured the eye of hundreds of thousands. Phrases of encouragement poured out from 1000’s of commenters.
Singer-songwriter Joe Jonas responded to Rachel’s video along with his personal TikTok, calling on his 6.5 million followers to behave. He stated he noticed an “superb…heartbreaking video” and was in Williamsburg and on his method to get some espresso from Rachel. He referred to as for others to “be a buddy” and help Buddies Espresso.
Joe Jonas visited on February twenty sixth:
For the reason that video went viral, there’s been a constant line at Buddies Espresso. Rachel and her associate, Taylor, are doing their finest to maintain up with the excessive demand for espresso beans and their specialty drink: the coquito latte. The latte is Rachel’s non-alcoholic, non-dairy model of the basic Puerto Rican drink typically drank round Christmastime.
To listen to extra about their response to the sudden rise in demand and check out one in every of their well-known lattes myself, I made a decision to go over to 150 Grand Avenue.
Watching Rachel work together with prospects was a lesson in hospitality and gratitude. Once I first noticed Rachel exterior the Williamsburg espresso store, she was greeting keen prospects with graciousness, smiles, and hugs. I watched as she spoke with two locals who wished her recommendation on methods to begin a espresso enterprise. They sat, sipping on coquito lattes (pictured beneath) and soaking in her steering to start out small and construct from there.
With the sudden web fame she’s garnered, a persistent line out the door of her store, and an amazing variety of on-line roastery orders to satisfy, she stayed exterior with prospects and buddies, prioritizing the folks in her retailer and her group. She knew many purchasers by title and launched herself to these she didn’t.
Whereas I used to be there, Rachel’s pal from highschool, Angelica, proprietor of Little Rico in Hudson, New York, shocked her with smiles and do-it-yourself juice to replenish her. “If something’s come about from this,” Rachel advised me between pleasant interactions with passersbys, “it’s that the group has rallied collectively.” She talked about the significance of group in her unique video, however nobody may have predicted simply how a lot of her group would present up for her.
Rachel advised me that each outdated buddies and pleasant neighboring companies are exhibiting up for his or her small staff since she posted asking for help. “Ceremonia Bakery simply introduced us over cookies and meals to ensure we’re fed…” she stated. “Our neighbors over the weekend introduced us burritos and bagels as a result of they know a whole lot of occasions since it’s simply Taylor and me when we now have a rush, we don’t have time to eat.”
I seen many purchasers have been younger ladies, and several other had traveled far to help Rachel. Kiara, who had come down from The Bronx, and Arri from Coney Island, have been two of those younger ladies. The chums had every traveled for hours to strive the Coquito latte and appeared elated to satisfy Rachel. “It’s positively value it,” Kiara stated about touring from one other borough to strive Rachel and Taylor’s espresso.
Whereas speaking, a person went into the espresso store with grocery luggage filled with ice. Rachel advised me about Steven, a supply driver she had seen across the neighborhood and launched herself to. After their preliminary assembly, Rachel shared that “he would simply come by and be like, ‘How are you? What do you want?'” With no ice machine of their very own, they want extra ice just about on a regular basis. Since then, Steven has come by typically to say hello and provides them ice, asking for nothing in return.
Once I requested her how she felt concerning the sudden consideration and main modifications she’s skilled within the enterprise’s day-to-day, Rachel shared that “being current with folks is grounding [her]… but it surely’s loads.” After a tumultuous week, Rachel is “grateful” and hopeful about the way forward for Buddies Espresso — even when that features saying goodbye to her storefront at 150 Grand Avenue.
In a follow-up submit to her viral TikTok, she shared that her “low level” has “was one thing so lovely. What I discovered is that regardless of the place I am going, the group has my again.”
Buddies Espresso is proof that working a small enterprise isn’t a solo endeavor; it thrives on group. So be like Steven exhibiting up with ice: Assist your neighbors, present up for native companies, and when you’re in Brooklyn, cease by Buddies.