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Business & Tech

Keeping Bed-Stuy's History Alive, One Cup at a Time

Daily Press, a new french press coffee shop opening in Bed-Stuy, will incorporate the neighborhood's narrative in everything it does

Bed-Stuy is changing. In fact, at times, it seems like if you blink, something new has replaced something old; something different has replaced something familiar.

Michael Zawacki, co-owner of Daily Press -- a french press coffee shop opening up at the end of this month at 505 Franklin Avenue, between Fulton and Hancock -- recognizes this fast-paced change.

For this very reason, he is attempting to incorporate some the neighborhood's rich history into his venture.

It all started in 2006 when Zawacki moved to Bed-Stuy: "I bought a place because I fell in love with the neighborhood, the people, the architecture, right away," he says.

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As time went on, that passion for Bed-Stuy inspired him to open a coffee shop that would center on the history of the streets he had come to appreciate.

"I started to do research right away; I probably studied about 200 coffee shops around the city," said Zawacki. "I got a job as a barista. And after that, I placed second in the Brooklyn Power Up business plan contest, which brought some funding for the project."

Then, he met his co-owner Samantha Lutzer at a charity event. Lutzer, along with her husband Andrew, shared Zawacki's vision of a coffee shop that would reflect the neighborhood's charm. To make this happen, Zawacki and Lutzer are featuring parts of Bed-Stuy right in the store.

The first thing people will notice when they enter the Daily Press are images of the neighborhood projected onto a wall. Zawacki and Lutzer are working with Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly, the author of the book, "Bed-Stuy Images of America," and Brian Merliss, the creator of Brooklynpix.com, to gather pictures of the neighborhood. Those, in addition to ones submitted from visitors to Daily Press, will be shown inside of the shop.

Zawacki says of the ideas, "Many people don't know the history of the neighborhood, and it's changing a lot. Hopefully we can do something to help preserve the history."

The Bed-Stuy spirit doesn't stop with the slide show, however: Zawacki says that the small staff he's hired lives in the neighborhood; there will be pictures on the wall of old-time Bed-Stuy; and interesting facts about the neighborhood will be printed on their coffee cup sleeves.

On the latter feature, Zawacki informs me that teddy bears actually were invented by a Bed-Stuy resident.

It appears the Daily Press history lesson has already begun.

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