New Harlem Cafe, Music Venue Aims To Restore Sugar Hill's Spirit

HARLEM, NY — Decades ago, the streets of Sugar Hill bustled with music and nightlife. As many as seven bars and jazz clubs lined St. Nicholas Avenue above 145th Street, anchored by concerts at the legendary St. Nick's Pub.

Recently, that cultural light has dimmed somewhat — St. Nick's Pub closed and was later destroyed by fire in 2018, while other venues like Lundy's, the 400 Tavern and Bowman's cocktail lounge all shut their doors in recent years.

But a new cafe, bar and music venue opening in Sugar Hill this fall aims to give the neighborhood a new gathering place — and fulfill what its founders call "a lifelong dream."

The Porch, opening in November on St. Nicholas Avenue near West 147th Street, will be centered around live music and house-made food and drinks — all designed to be affordable and accessible to neighbors. Starting July 4, its front patio will host six free outdoor concerts celebrating the return of live music to the city.

The Porch is the creation of Beth Kaufman and Mark Miller, married musicians who live around the corner. Its name was inspired by the way the couple stumbled into forming a folk music band more than a decade ago — "Playing music with our friends on the porch of our old house" in the Bronx, Miller said.

Months ago, Miller and Kaufman considered hosting a concert series from inside their Harlem apartment. Their plans grew more ambitious once they looked around and realized that the pandemic market had made Harlem's commercial rents far more affordable — including the empty storefront at 750 St. Nicholas Ave.

"This space presented itself and suddenly the vision got a little bigger," Kaufman said.

Most recently occupied by a furniture and electronics store, the 2,000-square-foot space has 20-foot ceilings and is inside a single-story building, meaning no upstairs neighbors risk being disturbed by live music.

Kaufman and Miller have grand visions for the venue, starting with the concert series — organized by their daughter, who is also a musician, with a focus on artists with Harlem ties. (Kaufman is a former teacher, while Miller is a partner at the Manhattan board game cafe Hex & Co.)

Once open, The Porch aspires above all to be "a great place for everybody to hang out," its proprietors say. On the menu each morning: coffee and pastries from Washington Heights-based Dutch Baby, homemade granola, Miller's own smoked fish, a "killer egg sandwich," and even fresh-baked bagels.

Lunch and dinner fixtures will include New York-deli-style pastrami, plus reuben sandwiches that Miller has spent months perfecting. Drinks will include beer, wine and cider.

Miller and Kaufman are keenly aware of their status as a white family opening a business in the city's most famous Black neighborhood, and plan to avoid the high prices and "precious" decor that are widely seen as symbols of gentrification.

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Instead, they are striving to keep prices low, studying how much a cup of coffee costs elsewhere in the neighborhood and modeling their menu accordingly. As for the music, they're considering asking a low cover charge of $10 or less, with any money on top of that considered a donation to the musicians.

"We’re living in an urban environment with people on all ends of the economic spectrum," Kaufman said. "We really want to be available to people regardless."

The upcoming outdoor shows will be held from 7–9 p.m. through Aug. 28. They are free with no registration required, though guests should RSVP online if they plan to order drinks.

Once The Porch has opened and earned a reputation, Miller and Kaufman hope it will play host to the same impromptu concerts that once characterized Sugar Hill's jazz clubs — when performers would play high-paying gigs down in Midtown and then head uptown to jam.

"We're hoping that this becomes a musician’s venue, run by musicians for musicians," Miller said. "It becomes that kind of place where you never know who's going to show up."

Read more or sign up for updates at theporchnyc.com.