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The tear -rich video of the owner of the coffee shop about rent increase, gentrification becomes viral

The tear -rich video of the owner of the coffee shop about rent increase, gentrification becomes viral

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Last week Rachel Nieves was in her car, her eyes when she turned her phone camera on. The small business owner based in Brooklyn was overwhelmed by the announcement of her landlord about an upcoming rental hike and knew that a competing company would move in next to her own.

“Today I have the word that because of the rent increase I may not be able to stay in the same rental agreement as many people the reality,” she says in the video and holds back tears. “But not only that, exactly next to me, set a café. And I don't know if I sound so stupid, cry and complain. But it just feels like you just can't win. The little people can't win. “

Since then, her TIKTOK has raised over 7.3 million views and tens of thousands of comments – including one of Joe Jonas.

“You are great. I come to support,” he wrote.

Nieves in conversation with Today.com says that she had never expected to reach so many people or that thousands would gather in a fight for a small company like her in her café within a few hours.

“The amount of tears and hugs and dancing on the streets that I have seen in the past five days let me know that the culture is very alive here,” says Nieves. “There are people who say: 'It feels like summer in New York. It feels like a Puertorican summer. “

A café that was brewed from a strong connection and a mutual dream

The 34-year-old business owner and her romantic partner Taylor Nawrocki opened buddies at the height of the pandemic at the end of 2020. The couple, who met Instagram, had no experience in the coffee industry nieves previously worked in the autocalo, but they shared a deep love for roasted beans and the craft of brewing.

“Taylor and I were so unsure about everything. It was not this specified plan. We didn't know that it would work, ”she explains. “I really spent all my money on this dream, which was initially just an idea. And then it became a dream. “

They began with a coffee car and a vision – a hub rooted in Puertorican culture that Nieves describes as universal and inviting. They would call their shop “Buddies”, a name that says that Nieves says what they wanted for their customers, a goal for the person who explains: “I will meet with my friends.”

Finally, the shop moved to a small inpatient room in Williamsburg, a quarter that had once been filled with a pulsating Puertorican community, since then has become increasingly unrecognizable due to the gentrification. As a long -time resident and company, Nieves said that she was proud that Buddies became a main support for the community left behind. Puertorican culture was proudly exhibited in the window and pumped through the loudspeakers of the shop and near the shop.

“I wave up our flag – it hangs in the window, it is painted on our glass. We play Salsa music. We serve Coquito Lattes. It is a little bit that people know in the community: “I could be new, but I'm there for her,” says Nieves.

A heartbreaking blow

Last week things changed for Nieves when her partner called her as she was on her way to shop. Her landlord had given him a termination: the rent of the friends would increase and he intended to rent the room next to a competing café that could afford the price increase. The news put Nieves in a spiral of uncertainty. She was too upset to escape from well -intentioned friends and family. She drove into her car and turned to Tiktok.

“I think I just wanted to let go of pain and frustration,” she says. “I felt like I had lost everything at that moment.”

Nieves' Post spread quickly and wide and supported the support from all time. Within a few days, customers from Texas, Florida and Philadelphia arrived to support the business.

“I let people knock on my door and said: 'We came from Texas, we will be here tomorrow.' And I thought: 'Why do I make this kind of support?

Jonas made his comment well and appeared to provide support.

“He only sat at our tables and drank coffee with his friends and told me: 'Your video really moved me. But your coffee is really good too. '”

What's next for friends?

Nieves says that since their viral post, she and Nawrocki have seen the profound effects that the community can have to ensure that “little people” win. Despite their current popularity, the couple decided to move locations – although they don't yet know where.

“Even if (our landlord) would say:” We will not increase the rent, we won't put another café next door, “they already showed me that they do not appreciate me,” she says. “And I would definitely not be someone like that in business with someone.”

Nevertheless, the support of the Williamsburg community and beyond Kumpels has made it possible to continue to hold on.

“People hurt. My story is not unique. But what happens now – people who come together, in which the cold stand and say they want not only to me, but also small companies everywhere – that means something. “

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