Roger That Cafe Closes, Owners Promise Barbershop

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK -- They're going from sips to snips. A local cafe on Rogers Avenue and Erasmus Street shuttered its doors for good last month, but may reopen as a barbershop in 2019, owners announced on social media.

Roger That Cafe at 854 Rogers Ave. permanently closed in November, but owners told Facebook followers that they will not be saying goodbye to the storefront.

"Big changes from us," management wrote on Nov. 8. "We are transforming into a barbershop."

(Keep up with NYC events and news by subscribing to the Ditmas Park-Flatbush Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Wife-and-husband team Liana Schapiro and Noel Black first opened the East Flatbush cafe, which they said would double as a moving company, in April 2017.

"We want it to be more a lounge where people could be really comfortable hanging out," Schapiro said. "We do have a table for people who need to do work, but we wanted it to be that kind of vibe."

A pink pillar remained inside the space as a tip-of-the-hat to the former business to occupy the space, which was also a barbershop, Bklyner reported.

When Roger That Cafe broke the news to Facebook followers that the shop would close , one customer demanded to know of the upcoming barbershop, "Will There Still Be Red Wine?"

"For you?" Management replied, "Duh!"

For those with a sentimental attachment to Roger That Cafe, or in need of some espresso cups, owners have since begun selling off their stock, which includes an electric waterfall, a bain marie and slew of books and board games on Craigslist.

Roger That Cafe did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment but we will update this story if and when they do.

Photo of the interior courtesy of Roger That Cafe and exterior courtesy of GoogleMaps