Blue Bottle Coffee Opens LES Outpost at Cursed 71 Clinton Street on Friday
Clinton Street, get ready for another coffee shop. But not just any mom-and-pop. Oakland-based Blue Bottle Coffee is opening yet another city location here. The java joint at 71 Clinton is its fifth in Manhattan proper.
The new location has been a secret for months, during which remodeling activity steadily progressed below the radar. Last week, however, the room finally made itself visible to the neighborhood in all its antiseptic glory. Patrons can expect the same ol’ white-box feel as other Blue Bottle locales.
Obviously, the muscle of Blue Bottle poses a direct threat to the three-year-old Marm Cafe which resides across the street at the other corner.
Opening is slated for this Friday, with a friends-and-family even happening the day before. Free coffee all day Thursday.
Between newcomers WhaLES and Blue Bottle Coffee, could this be enough to finally stem the years-running retail curse of 71 Clinton Street?
As we’ve noted for years, this particular address is one of the most notorious hexed spaces on the Lower East Side. Ever since 71 Clinton Fresh Foods ended its seven-year tenure in 2006, nothing of substance really sticks in this spot. Neither on the Rivington nor Clinton Street sides. The previous occupant – San Marzano Pizza – fell victim to a burst water pipe three years ago and fled the area.
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