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Gimme Coffee, a Third Wave Trailblazer, Permanently Closes NYC Shops

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The Ithaca-based roaster won’t be reopening, it announced Tuesday

The exterior of a coffee shop that has a red awning and a sign that reads gimme coffee
Gimme Coffee is permanently closing both its NYC locations after more than a decade of business
Christopher Bride/PropertyShark

After more than 16 years, Ithaca-based coffee roaster Gimme Coffee is permanently closing its two NYC shops, the company announced on Instagram.

The cafe in Williamsburg was among the first third-wave coffee shops in New York, helping to set the stage for a boom in serious espresso drinking and indie coffee culture. The Brooklyn one at 495 Lorimer Street opened in 2003, while a Nolita location at 221 Mott Street followed in 2008. Years later, the narrow premises of both locations remained go-to’s for the city’s coffee nerds.

Both locations closed temporarily in March in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but weeks later, the company says it no longer plans to reopen the spaces due to “the same challenges that many small businesses in the hospitality industry are facing,” the post says. If outposts reopen in the neighborhoods, they will be “in different locations and under new circumstances.”

Gimme is still shipping beans and other goods from its Ithaca headquarters; $1 from each bag of the Rally blend goes to a relief fund for baristas. It also still has locations upstate, though those are temporarily closed due to the new coronavirus shutdown.

Eater has reached out to the company’s ownership for more info.

View this post on Instagram

Today we are announcing the permanent closures of our cafes at 495 Lorimer St in Williamsburg and 221 Mott St in Nolita. We suspended service at these cafes in March to keep our staff safe during the unfolding public health crisis, initially hoping to reopen. As the weeks progressed and we experienced the same challenges that many small businesses in the hospitality industry are facing, we have had to make the difficult decision to close our cafes at these locations for the long haul. . We are continuing to support our NYC staff with funds generated through sales of our Rally blend. You can also support them directly through their virtual tip jars: gimmelorimer and lorrykikta. We sincerely hope that when the world resumes a normal pace we will be able to find a new home in Williamsburg and Nolita, albeit in different locations and under new circumstances. . If you’ll allow us a bit of nostalgia in these photos, we opened Lorimer St in November 2003 and Mott St in December 2008 with the idea of bringing our Ithaca-based concept of world-class neighborhood coffee to NYC. To say simply that over the last 16 years we‘ve gone through a lot of change together with our staff and communities would understate the significance we place on the relationships we’ve built. Many of our former baristas started their coffee careers here (some others: successful music and arts careers) and have dedicated years of their lives to serving Leftist espresso day after day. We wish we had the opportunity to say goodbye in person and are left with a collective hole in our hearts for not having had the ability to have done so. . Until then, thank you for all of your years of support. Let’s stay connected. We hope to see you again soon!

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