PROSPECT LEFFERTS GARDENS, NY — If you’ve ever worked behind a bar, you know that the customer is actually not always right, said Catherine Buccello, who herself has worked at multiple Brooklyn bars.
Years in the service industry has taught Buccello that mistreatment of workers, whether by patrons or bosses, can quickly tank a business.
So at her newest Prospect Lefferts Gardens venture disrespect won’t fly. And Buccello is prepared to enforce a high standard of behavior at The Bodega Lounge.
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“[I want to] ensure the flow and energy feels safe and comfortable,” Buccello said. “I’m definitely not going to be being shy.”
The new combined cafe, storefront and wine lounge on Nostrand Avenue near Fenimore Street will soft open in July and open in full by the fall.
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A play on New York City bodega culture, The Bodega Lounge will exclusively feature products made by Black, queer and/or woman entrepreneurs. As much as the space will focus on good food and wine, it will uplift and empower these commonly underrepresented identity groups, Baccello said.
On one side of the store, patrons will eat healthy and decadent food made in-house with Afro-Caribbean influences. The cafe shares a space with the “bodega” stocked up with goods created by local Black, queer and/or woman-owned brands. On the other side of the storefront sits the wine lounge.
Partnered entrepreneurs and businesses will learn about running and growing a successful business, armed with Buccello and her business partner Britney Wallace’s corporate expertise.
The core tenets of their business will be respect, fair pay, positive working conditions and strong business management. The two college best friends are hoping to set a new standard for Brooklyn’s Black-owned businesses, Buccello said.
Now more than ever, facing rapid gentrification in the area, Buccello is determined to keep “Black on the block,” Buccello said.
“With chaos and discord comes disrespect,” Buccello said. “We’re not going to do that here.”
The bright storefront will also offer space for community convening and learning, with therapy-led workshops on mental health and programming by local organizations.
Leading up to the opening, Buccello and Wallace hosted two painting parties to get the storefront customer ready, kickstarting The Bodega Lounge’s neighborly feel.
Most importantly, The Bodega Lounge is a space meticulously preserved for patrons to come as they are — no judgement, no expectations. Everyone is welcome and in any mood — but Buccello will particularly protect the safety and comfort of Black, queer and female patrons who often feel pushed out of other NYC spaces.
“We just want to create a new cadence,” Buccello said.
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