Audrey’s Concerto is a quaint café on 86^th Street and 24^th Avenue. It is a popular place of conversation and mingling even amongst strangers. With its unique flavors and peaceful atmosphere, it offers a haven from the chaos that occurs just a couple of blocks down, where people are frantically shopping and eating. To explain Audrey’s Concerto’s success and distinct character, one must understand the café’s humble beginning and the history of 86^th Street.

History of 86th Street

With a mixture of European stores and Asian shops, 86th Street has a very interesting history. Previous to the 20th century, around 86th Street and 20th avenue, the neighborhood was predominantly full of Italians and Jewish people. In the 1950’s, a large influx of immigrants from southern Italy and Europe in general, took over the area and the Jewish population declined drastically(Gutenberg, 2017). Even now, the areas around 86th Street have a large Italian population. However, as the late 1900’s and early 2000’s came around, a large influx of Chinese immigrants and immigrants of the former USSR made their way to 86th Street. That has vastly contributed to how 86th Street is today. It has been noted that from 2000 to 2010, the Asian population has increased by 57% ((Gutenberg, 2017).

“As of the 2010s it is still currently mixed in with different ethnic businesses and people, especially with many Italians and Russians still in the Bensonhurst neighborhood resembling more of Manhattan’s Chinatown of the 1970s-80s when it was in expansion mode, but still mixed in with other ethnic enclaves” (Gutenberg, 2017). Although looking through Google Map images show that some Chinese stores have replaced stores owned by some Europeans, it is evident that 86th is still a good mix of different cultures, ranging from Russian meat markets to Spanish bars to Italian bakeries that have withstood over time.

Whereas in areas like 8th Avenue where it is majority Chinese and primarily has shops catering to Asians, 86th Street is somewhat of a mixture of different cultures. Therefore, you can see not only Chinese stores replacing European stores but also European stores replacing Chinese ones. There are a lot of left over details from renovated buildings and rented spaces that show what first occupied the space. In fact, some of the images that I have found, show indications of what groups of people lived there as far back as the 17th century.

Looking closer at specifically where Audrey’s Concerto is located, it is right next to a couple of popular restaurants and a couple of more commercial developments. Clearly there’s a rather large amount of diversity compared to some enclaves or areas. Audrey’s Concerto is catered to the population that it serves. Being a cafe that serves a combination of French and Asian influenced desserts, there is both a European aspect and a Chinese aspect. This kind of combination also indicates what kind of changes this neighborhood is in the midst of.

Residents

In the 1970’s and 1980’s, primarily Italians occupied the area around 86th Street. Through the years, Asian immigrants and Russian people and other Eastern Europeans have migrated.

The general area is also very much family orientated. Majority of households are family households, with 30%-40% of them with people under the age of 18. It seems that in the late 1900’s this family-type household with children, was also common. The fact that the area is a shopping district and very convenient for buying groceries and traveling naturally attracts families, which look for areas of convenience, particularly because they have kids to take care of.

As for what the people around the area do for a living, around 80% of male and/or female workers are in the private sector. Unemployment rates are very low in the area currently and relative to other occupations, most people that are employed are involved with educational services and health care, and social assistances, which shows that the civilians around 86th street are educated. Not to mention that there is an indication that majority of people have at least graduated high school. The education correlates with the low poverty rate of the area.

It seems that majority of these employed people might work in Manhattan due to the data pointing out that majority of the workers travel at least an hour to work every day to.  Retail trade is also up and coming. There has been an increase in retail shops over the past couple of years in many different areas; a drastic example would be SoHo, there is a rise in commercialism and the jobs that people are taking are related to retail. As someone who lives in Bensonhurst, went to high school in Manhattan and currently goes to school in Manhattan, it is not surprising to find that people in the city often live elsewhere. My mother also works in Jamaica, Queens. Many of my friends from Bensonhurst also went to school in Manhattan.

Location of Audrey’s Concerto 

Mention 86th Street to anyone in Brooklyn and he or she will tell you exactly where it is. As an area that is thriving, 86th Street is filled with shops and restaurants. Audrey’s Concerto lies on 86th Street and 24th Avenue. It is right underneath the D Train, which is convenient for transportation. The block also encompasses a bank, a pizzeria known as Bad Boys Pizza, a Mexican bar and restaurant known as La Parranda, a Chinese restaurant known as Kowloon Cafe, Sake Sushi (incredibly popular sushi buffet), McDonald’s, and a beauty school, just to name a few places.

Based on location alone, one might assume that it is a diverse neighborhood.

The area around 86th Street is very densely populated, and in fact, majority of the residents are seemingly white or Asian. The customers of Audrey’s Concerto seem to indicate just as much. Upon entering the cafe around 15 minutes prior to the actual interview, I ordered a lavender honey tea and I just sat, observed, and waited. It seems as though 5:00PM is a busy time. A group of teenage girls sat at the table to my left and talked about makeup and trends. After they left, a group of four Chinese middle aged adults took their place and proceeded to have a meeting. Behind me, an older Caucasian male sipped on a cup of coffee and started a conversation with a student. I later learned that he was a regular. English, Spanish, and Chinese were thrown around left and right and many people peered in through the large glass windows of the storefront. I was astonished by the vibrancy that the space held and realized that it corresponded with the different types of shops and cultures that were on 86th Street. The stores around the area also seem to reciprocate this mingling of people of different cultures and ethnicities.

History of Audrey’s Concerto

In 2009, Audrey’s Concerto was a phone business that was started by Audrey and her sister Angel, for friends and family. After 3 years, it got a little too much to handle and they opened up the store in August.

When the store had just opened, Richard, a long-time employee of Audrey’s Concerto, remembers that they were extremely short staffed and Audrey had to train all the new employees. Richard remembers that “there were days where [he] and the main chef would have to stay after closing, at 11Pm, stay until 4 in the morning finish up the cakes, and then be [there] the next morning to open up the store”. Over the years, he has helped with sales, the kitchen, inventory, and basically everything in between. Of course, now, Audrey’s Concerto has become quite popular with all types of people and so their problems seem to have lessened with the new workers that have been hired. However, with the influx of customers, Richard states that unfortunately they have had to turn down orders because of how busy they are; it is “disappointing to turn down someone’s special event” but the cakes are very time consuming. He also says that the hardest times are when the school year starts because much of the staff are students, including himself. However, it seems that the workers are quite close knit as Richard says that, “”there are certain people here that are just irreplaceable… a lot of times we hang outside of work as well”. In a small business, work atmosphere and finding the right people to work with are important and can often be difficult.

Popularity

Richard believes that the neighborhood was originally lacking a place where people could just sit down and have a coffee with a friend. The role of the cafe is actually just to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the area. Because there are so many shops, supermarkets, and stores all down 86th street, people move fast and furiously. The cafe seems to be a shared place that people go to calm down and to have a nice snack. Therefore, the role of the cafe is actually quite unique. There are not many places at 86th Street like that cafe, where one can rest at. There are numerous Asian bakeries however, those are often also crowded.

From personal experience, Audrey’s Concerto is a place I have gone to a few times. It is where my family would buy cakes for birthdays, graduations, and holidays. The flavors that are available suit my grandparents’ taste as well as my younger cousins’. In the past when we had gone to an Italian bakery, the elders would complain that things were too sweet. When we had gone to a Chinese bakery, the younger ones would complain about the odd spongy texture of the cakes. Chestnut, red bean, green tea, mango, lychee, and strawberry flavors can be found in Chinese bakeries but, they don’t come in the form of a mousse cake. The odd and unexpected combination of Asian and French cuisine that Audrey’s has, works in our favor.

As for where the idea of a French-Asian store came from, Richard explained that “if you met Audrey, you would understand why it’s not the traditional standard bakery. She’s not in her generation and she’s more like someone I would hang out with. She leans towards the non-Asian traditional side but given her background, she has included her Chinese side”. A lot of the cake inspirations are from Audrey herself and she has fun thinking up creations. When a customer has a certain idea for a wedding cake, she adds on and expands.

Future and Improvements

When asked about improvements, Richard stated that he would prefer to be two blocks down where there are more people shopping but also included that Audrey’s Concerto aims to stay away from a “Starbucks type cafe where everything is fast paced”. At the current moment, they are planning out a possible second location. While the cafe is quite small, it seems that there are bigger plans for it in the future. Going from a phone service to a storefront was a rough transition but it seems to be working out quite well.

Sources:

(2017). Google.com. Retrieved 24 May 2017, from https://www.google.com/maps

An alternative view of New York |. (2017). Forgotten-ny.com. Retrieved 31 May 2017, from http://Forgotten-ny.com

Gutenberg, P. (2017). Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing – eBooks | Read eBooks online | Free eBooks. Self.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 31 May 2017, from http://Self.gutenberg.org

Old Vintage Brooklyn & New York City Photography, Photos, Pictures & Images. (2017). Oldnycphotos.com. Retrieved 31 May 2017, from http://Oldnycphotos.com

US Demography 1790 to Present. (2017). Social Explorer. Retrieved 19 May 2017, from http://www.socialexplorer.com/6f4cdab7a0/explore