"For years, Astor Place was the corner of Starbucks and Starbucks. Two outposts were located a few hundred feet apart, both thriving despite their proximity. By 2024, they were gone, but you'd be forgiven for missing the funeral - you probably didn't even miss a cold brew. There are now at least ten places to get a nice coffee within five minutes of Astor Place, and none of them is a Starbucks."
"These are the brewtiques. They've replaced boyfriend chairs with low stools and café tables. They've got racks of clothes and business partnerships with name-brand roasters. They have no-laptop policies and cool little demitasse cups from local artisans. And they're right at the center of the burgeoning Fourth Wave of coffee, the ethos of which is pretty simple: Everything is better if it's also a high-end café."
By 2024, two longtime Starbucks locations near Astor Place closed while at least ten alternative coffee venues opened within five minutes, none Starbucks. Clothing retailers now host in-store espresso bars, exemplified by J.Crew's partnership with Jack's Stir Brew Coffee and its green-tiled espresso bar with stools. Major brands including Uniqlo, Aimé Leon Dore, Maison Kitsuné, Arc'teryx, and Buck Mason offer espresso. Brewtiques combine retail merchandise with specialty coffee, low stools, no-laptop policies, artisanal demitasse cups, and roaster partnerships. Saturdays NYC pioneered the model in 2009 with a La Marzocco machine; its boutique closed after Labor Day while the café stays open until November.
Read at Grub Street
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