Greenpoint's Flower Cat turns cafe into community space for creatives * Brooklyn Paper

"The swinging sound drifts from Noble Street, spilling out of a packed café called Flower Cat. To the unknowing eye, the space could be mistaken for one of the city's many swanky bars. Inside, amber-toned lamps highlight a lively crowd passing around glasses of red wine. Overhead, moonlight pours through two skylights, illuminating a glossy-haired woman weaving through the room, greeting customers and friends."

"She opened the one-stop café and flower shop more than two years ago. The space has since evolved into a Greenpoint community staple. "We call it our living room," Agbayani said. It was when Agbayani began hosting events at the café nearly two years ago that the space became both a living room and a shapeshifter. On Friday nights like these, the room transforms into a stage for live bands and open mics. On full and new moons, the shop leans into the divine arts, hosting tarot readers."

"The small shop is located in what was once an 1800s carriage house. Antique art of bouquets and kittens adorns sage limewashed walls, while vintage upholstered chairs transport customers to the streets of Florence. At the back of the storefront, a glass floral cooler displays eight galvanized French buckets of fresh flowers for sale. People who know Agbayani say she has managed to turn her personality into a room."

A brisk Friday evening in Greenpoint carries jazz melodies through rowhouse-lined streets to Flower Cat, a packed café and flower shop. Warm amber lighting, skylights, and vintage decor create an intimate, living-room atmosphere. Owner Suzanne Agbayani opened the combined café and flower shop more than two years ago and cultivated a community staple by hosting live bands, open mics, tarot readings, and other events. The shop occupies an 1800s carriage house, displays fresh flowers in galvanized buckets, and functions as an art studio, library, meditation center, and floral service. Agbayani moved to New York from Hawaii to study architecture at Pratt Institute.

Read at Brooklyn Paper