Retired Attorney Opens New Coffee Shop In Windsor Terrace

WINDSOR TERRACE, BROOKLYN — Mark Newfeld, who retired after a 36-year career as a corporate attorney, was walking his dog through Windsor Terrace in December when he noticed a "for rent" sign posted outside of a storefront on East Fourth Street near Fort Hamilton Parkway.

"I have a dog, and I take him for walks, and I kept on walking past this place," he told Patch. "I thought, 'What could I do with that?' My wife and I for years have kidded over opening up an espresso bar when we retired. And I said, 'Whoah, maybe I should do that.'"

He did. A lease was signed in January, a gut renovation started in February and on Saturday, May 13, Windsor Coffee opened.

"People are so nice in this neighborhood," Newfeld, 63, said. "Everyone’s been just as nice as nice can be. And it’s been fun so far."

For now, the place is your standard neighborhood shop, featuring coffee drinks from Oslo Coffee and light snacks inside a sunny, cozy space. The place is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

"I just want it to be sort of a nice relaxed place where people can hang out and do schoolwork, read a book, be on their laptops, whatever," Newfeld said. "Coffee, light fare, pastries, bagels. I found a fantastic biscuit, Brooklyn biscuit. Unbelievable."

But he's already getting inquiries about renting the space out, doing poetry slams or musical events. There's also a small backyard space that could eventually hold a table or two.

"I want to get the thing running on a solid footing before I start thinking of other things I’d like to do," Newfeld said.

In the mean time, Newfeld is still getting used to the small things you think about when running a business, such as making sure everyone has the right city permits to handle food and buying a fire extinguisher.

But, he says, "It’s certainly a lot different than being an attorney."

Image by Marc Torrence, Patch Staff