Coffee War Brewing

The last time there was a coffee war in the East Village was when the beloved Cafe Pick Me Up moved from Avenue A and East 9th Street to a space next to the beloved East 9th Street Espresso, on East 10th Street. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fray!

Today, on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place, another coffee war began, between the beloved Mud Coffee (on East 9th Street near Second Avenue) and a prospective Starbucks!

Mud workers were in attendance:

"Am I getting paid to do this?"

…as well as free Mud Coffee:

Mud? It was ground this morning!

Seth MacFarlane showed up to hand out signs:

Handing out signs.

Sensing the possibility of a riot, the police turned out in number:

The police, in number.

The local news station showed up too:

PIX11 News.

They positioned themselves across the street:

"The crowd could be heard chanting: 'Who's coffee? Our coffee!'"

By the time I left, many on-lookers were looking on:

Looking on.

There's no news yet on when the rally in support of Starbuck's will be held. I'll keep you posted!

#eastvillage #avenuea #mudcoffee #pix11news #stmarksplace #starbucks #police #cafepickmeup #9thstreetespresso

Competitive War is Brewing

East Villagers love small-business competition — just take a look at the Avenue A cigarette price war!

Now it looks like another struggle is developing, this time between rival coffee shops!

The beloved Cafe Pick Me Up, renown for its proximity to the Tompkins Square Park children's playground, is moving in with the beloved Gnocco, an Italian restaurant on East 10th Street between Avenues A and B:

The beloved Gnocco.

However, the beloved 9th Street Espresso is only a few short steps away:

The beloved 9th Street Espresso.

A few short steps away.

It's time to choose sides… in the East Village Coffee War Today!

#eastvillage #10thstreet #9thstreetespresso #avenuea #cafepickmeup #gnocco