Busy workers at the new Swallow café, which took the place of Bogart Street pioneer The Archive. Employees say working conditions — and the coffee — are better.
Photos by Scarlett Lindeman for BushwickBK

It’s a Friday afternoon at the month-old Swallow, the shop that took over the old Archive space, and there are almost thirty people inside the coffee-fueled clubhouse. There are teachers griping about their trouble students, visitors from Vermont, and local warehouse kids too cheap to buy their own internet. It’s cozy and communal with good bagels and strong coffee. A girl with dreads is asking for an addition to her sandwich at the counter, "You know, those stringy green things…" "Sprouts?" questions the employee. "Sprouts! Yeah," says dreads.

	Swallow 49 Bogart Street (at Grattan)
	Swallow even took over Archive’s sandwich board. (Scarlett Lindeman/BushwickBK)

The space, a couple steps up from the street, was still Archive in early September.  An early fixture of the burgeoning Morgantown scene, Archive was loved or hated for its coffee, staff, and DVD rentals.  The business closed abruptly the afternoon of Sept 3rd leaving both patrons and employees stumped. Unbeknownst to staff, the Archive owners had been looking to sell for months before they found a buyer — Sam and Mike Saleh. (Rumors that the Salehs owned El Beit proved confused — Swallow manager Kaled Ali is actually the former owner of the Bedford Avenue coffee shop.) After negotiations and contract signing, the Archive owners informed staff on a Wednesday night announcing the change of hands. Thursday, Archive shuttered, with ten workers unexpectedly unemployed and very disgruntled.

Ryan Scanlan, one of the two employees who regained their jobs with new management, still gets fiery about the way previous management conducted the switch – "They literally gave us no notice" and then "sort of threw up their hands and deflected any guilt towards the new owners." He, like the new employees, had to submit a resume to the new owners. Nevertheless, the atmosphere has improved for the employes.

"The coffee is better, the owners are more hands on. They are such sweethearts," said Scanlan.

With a heavy wooden communal table and worn floorboards, the space looks like an 18th-century classroom. The coffee is from Intelligentsia and Brooklyn Roasting Co., and Nina, with streamers in her hair, makes special salmon and cream cheese baguettes tied up with twine among other daily treats. As for the new name, manager Daniel Kim says that the owner of Brooklyn Roasting Co. Jim Munson offered a handful of suggestions to the Saleh brothers, who were set on a bird name.

"I think it may have went over their heads. Maybe it’s unintentionally brilliant? I mean, you won’t forget it."