History
In the early 1900s, my grandparents set up a bakery at 201 Bleecker. They baked breads, pizza & hams for customers because most people didn't have ovens. In 1907, Patsy Albanese started Porto Rico Importing Co. at 195 Bleecker. Porto Rico sold products essential to newly arrived Italian immigrants. In 1958 Patsy asked my father to buy his store. My father, tired of bakery life, accepted. As Bohemians, Italians & beat poets came to the Village, they all had to eat & of course, drink coffee. The blending of these folks was mind-altering. As the Village grew so did we. We expanded our roasts & inventory. After customers traveled, they'd say,