Weekend Reporting Assignment 4: Q&A

By Winrich Sy for Reporting and Writing 1

There is nothing like the charm of a go-to local spot, the one that feels like your third place away from home. Communitea is a local cafe in Long Island City, Queens and is owned by the hard working Kafia Saxe. Since establishing in 2005, Communitea has gathered so many faithful customers and priceless moments, yet there are many trials and tribulations with running a local business. We spoke to Kafia around closing time, where she provides a look into being a small business owner.

Interview with Kafia Saxe:

Can you give me a brief history behind Communitea and what made you want to open up shop here in Long Island City?

Good question. Well, my husband and partner had a bar on Vernon Boulevard and the landlord, since the bar was quite successful, approached my husband and asked if we would like the space two doors down that he also owned. My husband and I both had an interest for tea so we decided. Hey, let's try a morning breakfast place with a focus on loose leaf tea and comfort food.

So we took that opportunity.

Awesome. Did you ever think that when you first started, to expect to be here now 15+ years into it?

16 years.

Actually almost going on 17? I mean one would always hope to go on for as long as one is able. But yeah, the neighborhood has long received us well and supported us and we've done a lot of changes, especially in this new space that we moved to from five years ago, beer and wine and community events like scary movies and art shows and poetry, readings and whatnot.

So yeah, it's evolved and grown into something that we are very proud of.

If you were to describe Communitea in a whole, in three words, what would it be?

In three words?

Um.. A Third Place…do you know what a third place means?

No. What does that mean?

So a third place. Okay. So the first place is your home.

Okay.

Where you are very comfortable, where you live.

The second place is where you work, you spend a lot of time in both of those places and the third place is that other place where you spend a lot of time? To unwind.

So that's kind of what we set out to be. Coffee houses and taverns have a long history of being this sort of place where people gather whether it's to meet up with friends, to plan and plot and meet with people and figure out things and discuss what’s going on.

And that's kind of what we set out to be is sort of this third place where you don't wanna be at home and you’re done with work for the day. Where you can hang with friends, family, or your team.

So as a local business in Long Island City, what are some of the challenges with owning a small business?

Oh my god, there are many. Well, right now, post COVID or sorry, we still are in COVID. Staff. Staffing is always the challenge in the restaurant industry, finding and keeping staff. And so that is by far right now, our number one challenge. Just sort of figuring out how to be a restaurateur in this post COVID pandemic world that we live in right now.

People are eating and working from home. We have had to pivot into doing a lot of delivery, which we never did but now we do all the delivery services and because we need that revenue and we need for people to know that we are here and they can have food delivered to them.

2020 was obviously a rough year. So what else were you doing?

We started selling everything that we make in bulk, as a sort of a pantry and market. Offering our salad dressings, making mini loaves, switching from beer on tap to can so that it would be easier to deliver.

Also expanding our partnership with local, creative makers such as candles and soaps partnering with female people of color black and indigenous. Just expanding beyond our food offerings, and making it more attractive to come into the shop.

We also created a website that also has an online shopping cart that sells all of our teas in bulk. So that has been really helpful.

What are some of the more memorable moments you've had when running the cafe?

Uh, what are some of the more memorable things? Well we have been the location for many film shoots, which have been very fun over the years, like Baby Mama, Ugly Betty, Marshalls and oh, Gossip Girl. So those have been very fun to be a part of.

We were hosting a scary movie night with Uncle Spooky, who would sort of MC, these scary movies that were so much fun.

Then of course the babies, I always love seeing newborns and toddlers and watching them grow and run around the space that brings me so much joy. I'm so honored and blessed to really become so close to a lot of families and their young children and watching even some of them now have like our young adults.

That always gives me warm fuzziness.

That leads me to the next question. How important are the regulars here in terms of keeping this up and running?

They're very important. We are nothing without them. Our regular customers that we see daily or weekly. Our customers are crucial to the survival of our business because we count on them and also they become our friends. We get worried when we don't see, you know, a certain person who might be of a certain age bracket and if they're okay or not.

But yeah, the regulars are, are always important, in regards to the business but in general because they're our friends.

What advice would you give to somebody who's dreaming of opening their own small or local business in their community?

Don't do it. Haha

How could you say something so controversial yet so brave? Haha

Now, this is a tough feeling. If you wanna be in this kind of business, you gotta work at one first. You gotta know what you're getting into. It's physically demanding. You have to know how everything in your business works, and you have to be prepared to fill in every position from washing dishes to the counter.

This is not a glamorous job. Also you need to have quite a bit of capital because in this business the margins are small. You need to have to start off at least a year's worth of rent, because it takes time to get your regulars. You just need to be prepared because things break and you never know what is coming down the line.

But it is rewarding. It's very rewarding when people tell me “I love what you're doing, don't ever leave.” It’s my favorite. I couldn't do without it, it really does make a big difference.

And for the last question, what do you credit for the success of the cafe and its longevity and what motivates you?

Oh, boy. Well, what motivates me? What motivates me is when people say: “this is awesome. I love what you're doing. I love this place.” and my own personal joy in creating a new special and something that really wows and something that really works well, tastes good and looks good. Coming up with new seasonal drinks is always fun.

Then when we bring them back, the next year, people are like, “I've been waiting for this. I love this drink. It's my favorite.”

It’s great that people have been thinking about this place or thinking about this particular item.

As far as what makes this place work well, my wonderful staff.

I enjoy working with my crew. We have a lot of fun, just keeping it interesting. You gotta keep it interesting. That's what I think really does bring people back. That's awesome.

And me.

Yup. Of course. The charismatic leader.

[Laughs] Gotta take some credit because I work hard.

This was Winrich Sy from reporting and writing 1. Thank you so much to Kafia from Communitea. Be sure to check out Communitea LIC, over here on 11-18 46th road.