Linda Thach, left, and Henry Glucroft toast the opening of their new café, Little Skips, at Willoughby and Myrtle Avenues. — Photos by Diego Cupolo

Floridian Linda Thach moved to Bushwick from East Williamsburg last February for the same reason most people do: in search of lower rent. But she soon came to love the area as many of us do for more than just its relatively cheap spaces — as she puts it, she found herself attracted to its “strange charm and dangerously romantic appeal.”

But her apartment on Ditmars, a one-block street near the Myrtle JMZ hub, could have used some coffee nearby, you know? Enter Little Skips, a place to eat, caffeinate, and socialize at the corner of another one-block street, present-industrial Charles Place, where it meets Myrtle and Willoughby Avenues.

 
Little Skips
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941 Willoughby Avenue
718-484-0980
Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat-Sun 9am-6pm
 
Little Skips at the corner of Charles Place.

Tin ceilings, exposed brick, and estate-sale scores give Little Skips a charming aura that is truly DIY — aside from utilities and other jobs that require a professional, the six-month construction process was spearheaded by Thach, her partner-in-coffee Henry Glucroft, and their many handy friends. The previous business, Ashley Carburetor, Inc., left behind a patinaed metal sign that now keeps watch over the new tenant.

Little Skips will offer many “non-animal” options, but will not be exclusively vegetarian or vegan. The coffee is from fair-trade supplier Counter Culture, which trained the crew as baristas.

In addition, Thatch will blend her own teas and serve small plates, salads, soups, pastries from the Ceci Cela bakehouse in Williamsburg, and sandwiches, including a Cambodian item — a family recipe — which she is thinking of calling an “anti-banh mi” to evoke the similarity with yet differentiate from the Vietnamese sandwich.

BushwickBK’s minions were served a heady but mild espresso in proper demitasses at the bar, prepared by one of the three part-time employees, all of whom live within blocks.

“We’ve had a few applications from people who live in like Midtown,” said Thach. “But we want to keep it local. Some of these people don’t even know where Bushwick is.”

Little Skips has ample seating and offers free wireless internet. Within a few months they plan to serve beer and wine and if the demand is present, stay open later.

The proprietors stressed their venture is a low-budget one, and will grow organically over time. Awkwardly posing for a photo, they clinked two espresso cups together. “We’re gonna break them,” chuckled Glucroft.

“No, we can’t afford that!” scolded Thach.

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