Charity-Minded Shoe Company Toms Opens a Cafe in Soho This Week

Toms, the popular philanthropic shoe company, is getting ready to open its first New York store this week, and with it a coffee shop that sells fair trade coffee. The company already operates a few stores like this one, including its flagship in Venice, California, which is more cafe than shoe shop. Bowery Boogie got a peek in the windows at this Soho shop, and from the looks of it, this location will follow suit. The coffee bar is front and center, and though it's unclear if there will be seating, this looks like it's going to function as a coffee shop that happens to sell shoes, rather than the other way around.

Toms sources its coffee from Rwanda, Malawi, and Honduras. For each bag that’s purchased, the company will provide a week’s worth of clean water to one person in need. The shop is soft opening on Thursday evening, when it will give away free drinks.