Faithful reader Irving alerted us Thursday of a sign posted on the window of twofiftyeight Cafe (199 Malcolm X Boulevard, between Jefferson and Putnam Avenues) that said they were closed. Say it isn’t so! I thought it was a mistake. I mean, I thought for sure they were opened on that warm Saturday last week. I hiked over to the cafe on Sunday. At first glance, it simply looked like it was closed for the day. Maybe they closed early? After a closer look, I saw the poster sized sign behind the see-thru shutters. It reads:
twofiftyeight Cafe has closed.
We thank you for your support and patronage.
Your business was greatly appreciated.
Peace and love – Francine, Traci-Lea, Omar
This feels final. No chance of a comeback, like the rallies that were held for the reopening for Bread Stuy on Lewis Avenue. Does anyone know why they decided to close? Did anyone know they were going to close? Any idea if someone is interested in continuing the business? Regardless, it’s always heartbreaking when an independent pioneering business in Bed-Stuy has to close. I personally thank them for the two and a half years of service they offered to this side of The Stuy.
I’m still trying to figure out why this happened. I mean, this wasn’t an overly ambitious business for Malcolm X. It was a small cafe (not some huge upscale restaurant), and it served the type of food and drink that I assumed a lot of people would like to have available to them, especially on their way to work. What happened?
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I live literally a few doors down from this cafe… and I tried. I really tried, but the coffee was terrible (always cold), and they had NO IDEA how to make espresso drinks (I ordered an iced late one day and they STEAMED the milk). Just very basic cafe stuff… and they couldn’t handle the it. The daughter was a bit friendlier than the mom, but not the warmest folks. Bummer it’s closed because the place was a cute addition, but hopefully a proper coffee place (other than Bread Stuy) will be willing to venture east of Stuyvesant Ave.
Is the cafe for sale and for how much? This is a key location. Thanks in advance.
Lack of consistency and unwillingness to take customer suggestions. If a customer asks for something, stock it. If they don’t buy it often enough to be worth it, discontinue it. But to not even try? Tsk. The mother/daughter team weren’t the friendliest. Can’t run a business that relies on customer interaction if you don’t really like being in front of customers.
Oh yeah, they didn’t even live in Bed-Stuy. Maybe they got tired of trekking over from Clinton Hill/Fort Greene.
Can’t say I frequented the place, other than popping in on my way to drop off laundry. It’s just too bad a little cafe like this closes, but yet another bodega is opening on Malcolm X. Because that’s what that street needs, another bodega selling crappy stuff.
So true. They we not apart of the community and in fact brought a neg. vibe most of time. Not friendly and open to any suggestions. In fact I know of two business that were planning on opening next door to them and the mom gave them trouble. She thought (even though they were not cafe’s) they would take her business away. Always sorry to see someone loose a dream but you do need to be friendlier if you are in that type of business
I for one will miss them, they were always friendly to me and listened to my ideas. It’s unfortunate that they closed, I remember passing by the store the morning it closed and being shocked by its closing when I came home later that day. I’d realized they were going through a tough time, but didn’t know it had come to this.
My experience echoes Dionne’s. The owner and her daughter were always extremely nice to me, but I didn’t go to this cafe often because I live too far away for it to be my regular go-to place. I would’ve been a regular customer if I lived nearby. Hopefully the space won’t stay vacant long.
@Al: I don’t have any information, but there will probably be a For Rent sign with contact information in the window soon.
I live on this side of the stuy and was happy as a clam when this cafe opened. But. The hospitality business was not their forte and it showed. If you went while it was slow the vibe was friendly and accomodating but during busier times the service/attitudes were spotty. Coffee knowledge def had room for improvement. Ok, A lot of room. Still. I hate to see this business close, I thought they were going to hit their stride, especially after the hooplah with bread stuy proving that our community will rally behind businesses that we care about…ah well. Hopefully a similar business will open in their stead, and make up for the lack of quality coffee and chill-worthy spaces on our side of the stuy..
Heard another rumor that Brooklynite Gallery (on Malcolm X) was thinking of relocating. That would be terrible. I’ve had some good times there. Anyone know if this is true?
Thanks The changeling I will check periodically. Would better service and products bring customers back to this location?
This is really heartbreaking. Tracy and Francine were always friendly and warm with my daughters and me- We do not live nearby and have not been there in a while – - is sad to see a family owned business that IS community minded not be able to succeed.
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thanks to all of you for chiming in. in truth, everything i heard about 258 hasn’t been positive – the tops being the coffee. yet, it was a nice place to chill if i didn’t feel like going over to lewis ave or wanted a change of scenery. so i do commend them for trying something out of the Malcolm X norm. i can count the fingers on one hand as to how many alternative/unique businesses there are on the strip. Acr is correct in expressing that we lose a cafe but GAIN A NEW BODEGA/DELI SHOP??? (it’s on X & Chauncey). Seriously? There’s another one two doors down from it. Why the need? i like to hang INSIDE cafes; not OUTSIDE in front of bodegas!
so as this new bodega opens, the same old business scene on the X continues for now: bodegas practically on every corner, flashy liquor stores, plexiglass covered chinese food take-outs, a dime a dozen beauty & barber shops, and hole-in-the-wall businesses that appear to give two cents about their customers (and the owners look that way too).
There are also a couple of storefronts available for rent, so maybe new business owners will be able to rise to the challenge – provide a need, listen to suggestions and hopefully get community support needed to thrive. i’ll continue to spotlight them in the weeks to come.
I saw folks in there today, drinking coffee, but I didn’t have a chance to stop in and see what was going on. Maybe it just changed ownership?
Uh oh. Better take all these comments down quick! Shhhh!
What if it was an early April Fool’s Day joke? LOL!
I cant believe some of the comments I’m reading here. Especially regarding the “hospitality”. It was a coffee shop, not a bed and breakfast. If you go to Starbucks and the people behind the counter aren’t the friendliest, you still go back and support them, but to not show support to positive an independent business because they were having a bad day, week, month (it happens) is just a shame. It must have been very challenging for Francine and Tracey to have to manage that business alone and still have to cater to all of those customers alone. 258 wasn’t the perfect business (yet) but it was definitely a step in the right direction for the community. Jazz Bands on Sundays was the classiest thing I’ve seen on Malcolm X in a long time. Lord knows we don’t need another Hair Salon/Barbershop …..anywhere.
I don’t think the issue was the friendliness as much as the product. People keep going back to Starbucks because they like the brew. But, I don’t drink coffee so I can’t comment otherwise.
With 258 now gone, I wonder what the status is of the new place opening in the Want’z Pizza/Orchid Cafe/Want’z Cafe/Brownstoner Cafe space on Patchen Ave & Macon? Maybe 5th time is a charm???
http://cupcakeandtwinkey.ning.com/profiles/blogs/happy-new-year
http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=55153
“Want’z Pizza/Orchid Cafe/Want’z Cafe/Brownstoner Cafe”
Lord ha’ mercy…
It is very sad to see 258 close its doors. I loved its presence and i’m mourning its passing. Thank you Francine, Tracie and Omar!
Cafes are usually small and intimate which should foster more interaction between the staff and customers. Thus I would expect more friendliness than a coffee shop like Starbucks. Cafes are the “B and Bs” of coffee sellers.
In any case, the three times I went there, I was made to feel like an annoyance rather than a valued customer. And it wasn’t crowded. I like the idea of a cafe on my side of the Stuy but one with friendly service would be great.
Funny, I feel Bread-Stuy has spotty service.