Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood bore witness to the social media might when Rachel Nieves, co-owner of Buddies Coffee, took to TikTok to express the financial hurdles her business is up against. The heartfelt plea struck a chord, leading to a ripple effect of community support for the Puerto Rican-owned coffee shop at 150 Grand Street. According to Eyewitness News, a potential rent hike and the threat of gentrification sparked Nieves’ viral moment.
Sharing the struggle of keeping up with an impending rent increase, which is reportedly hitting an unsustainable $30,000 a month, Nieves' video quickly went viral. The TikTok video has been viewed over six million times, translating into long lines at the shop's door and an unexpected outpouring of support. "They were waiting in line, and they brought music and they brought the whole party inside. So many people had shared that Williamsburg looked and sounded like how it used to," Nieves told Eyewitness News, revealing how local patrons and figures such as Joe Jonas rallied behind the shop.
Despite this influx of support, however, Buddies Coffee still faces the grim reality of relocating. "So, we're just there until November, maybe even before we leave the plan is to be in the East Village," Nieves mentioned, explaining the forced transition in a statement to News 12. Its future location is tentatively set.
"I just felt like it was important to share a raw moment because I'm constantly posting my day in the life of like what it means to open a coffee shop," Rachel Nieves candidly exposed her initial reservation regarding posting the video, in an interview with Eyewitness News.
