Books. Coffee. Democracy. Gone.

Posted on | August 26, 2010 | No Comments

The best coffee shop in Brooklyn went under this week and I’m in deep mourning. Vox Pop on Cortelyou Road in Ditmas Park was a gem. Part coffee shop, part venue, part community center, Vox Pop was central to my and Poppy’s weekly routine. We regularly stopped in for a morning coffee and bagel, occasionally swung in for lunch with a friend, and always attended at least one of the weekly sing-a-long events for babes.

After a couple of years of financial trouble, however, they’ve given up.

*sob*

From what I can gather, the short story of Vox Pop is that the last owner (and perhaps the original?) got the place into serious debt. He owed loads of back taxes and utility bills and who knows what else. Owner Debi Ryan took it over a couple of years ago and worked really hard to get it turned around. They were occasionally shut down by the state (most recently in April), but the local community always rallied, invested, and brought them back from the brink.

Prior to this shut-down, Con Ed had cut their power. Apparently that was yet another major outstanding debt and the utility company decided they’d had enough. Did that stop Vox Pop, though? Not a chance. For the last three weeks, the shop had been running via generator and borrowed electricity (via extension cords) from the storefront next door. They still served coffee and some food, allowed people to hook their laptops to the extension cords, and continued with the daily entertainment and performances. They kept the lights off, the fans minimal, and trudged right along as if nothing had happened.

Most resilient coffee shop ever? It’s possible.

We have other coffee shops in the neighborhood, but none like Vox Pop. Connecticut Muffin is sterile and bland. John’s has terrible bagels and no seating. And the Catskill Bagel that is opening soon… meh. More of the same.

Vox Pop was one of those excellent places that was a little gritty, but cozy. They served vegan treats and fair trade coffee, offered lefty political fare in the form of free newspapers and zines, and had a stack of well-loved board games that you could nurse your coffee over. You could stop in on a weeknight and catch some local jazz or an open-mic, display your art on the walls, or get a book published through their small publishing off-shoot.

Man, I’m gonna miss ‘em.

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