Monday, October 10th, 5:00PM-10:00 PM,
Society Coffee Closing Party, 2104 FDB and 114th Street. We received sad news this weekend that Society Coffee shop will be closing its doors today on October 10th. The pioneer coffee shop was one of the first newcomers to transform Harlem and served up fresh coffee alongside signature dishes such as red velvet waffles and Shrimp & Grits. Proprietor Karl Franz Williams will still have his speakeasy lounge 67 Orange Street open so everyone can still show support to this local business owner by frequenting that said establishment. Otherwise, drop by and say goodbye this evening!
This is sad.
ReplyDeleteWhat does this mean on another level?
Is the revitalization of lower Harlem ending? Are things going back to the old days?
Is it a failure of the bigger picture?
I am scared.
No matter where one is in the city businesses open and shut all of the time. I'm not a coffee house person, but it's a shame because I have heard great things. Ultimately who knows ... Maybe the landlord wanted to raise the rent? Maybe they had a higher offer for the space? I generally feel like the businesses on FDB are doing well though
ReplyDeleteThis is truly sad news. I was planning an outing with friends for a couple of weeks from now so that they could experience Society Coffee's Red Velvet Waffles & Shrimps n' Grits. This is bad, very bad for Harlem and sends a bad message. I am very disappointed.
ReplyDeleteOh no! I'm going to have a memorial for the Red Velvet Waffle. Such a bummer :(
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a huge disappointment. Have really enjoyed this place in the time I have been here. I don't know the circumstances behind it, but I would be surprised if it had anything to do with lack of business b/c it has always been pretty busy when I have passed by.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder when some of the other supposed projects are going to kick into gear though. Haven't heard a peep at the Pink Teacup location.
A real pioneer that set the stage and showed what was possible for FDB. I also liked the name as a throwback to Café Society in 1930s Greenwich Village being a racially integrated café. Ironically, Harlem now has to deal with another form of racial integration with the diversity of the new Harlem.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why it is closing as it always seemed popular?
ReplyDeleteI liked the coffee but the food was no more than mediocre. There wasn't one thing I wanted to order on the menu, hence I took my dining out business elsewhere on the Avenue. The open kitchen didn't help; it looked messy and the banquettes were torn and tattered. It is too bad about the closing, and ironic given the owner was on the cover of a Canadian airline magazine (Porter Air cover story about Harlem) this month.
ReplyDeleteFor anybody interested, here is the link for the article philip is referring to. Decent article:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flyporter.com/Content/reporter/16.pdf
Harlem piece starts on page 11.
We went a couple of times but stopped because the service was absolutely awful, and the food was overpriced for the quantity/quality. There were always tons of complaints about it on Yelp and the other review sites, but nothing ever changed.
ReplyDeleteI don't see this as a failure of the bigger picture, as much as the failure of a business that was not well run and failed to respond to the comments of its customers.
I agree that the closing is tragic. I suppose the food was mediocre and the service was very poor, but where else can we go for some free wireless in the neighborhood?
ReplyDeleteUpstairs at Best Yet.
ReplyDelete