With only a few grand to their name, along with a ton of hard work and grit, Rachel Nieves and her now husband Taylor Nawrocki built their business, Buddies Coffee, completely from scratch.
What began as a simple coffee cart grew into a brick-and-mortar cafe on 150 Grand St. in Williamsburg, which is a historically Puerto Rican neighborhood (though you wouldn’t be able to tell that today). Still, Buddies aims to honor Puerto Rican culture and build community by serving quesitos and a special coquito latté—which is the cafe’s claim to fame.
However, inflation and gentrification have recently caused this American Dream to be in jeopardy. As Nieves shared in an incredibly emotional video posted to TikTok, raised rent prices, in addition to another more mainstream coffee shop opening up next door, made staying in business seem impossible.
