People ask me all the time, what’s your favorite coffee shop? What’s your favorite restaurant? Where’s your favorite place to get a quick bite, hit the restroom, and vibe out? I have the answers. I get stopped for directions and happy to pull up maps, and make sure where you have to go. I have answers and if I don’t, we’ll stop someone on the street and ask another person too. New York has so many coffee shops but the problem is that many miss the mark. I have my go to’s in Brooklyn, Harlem, and Queens but Manhattan is hard. Surprisingly, lower Manhattan.
Meet PARK at KIMS, a Korean specialty coffee shop that’s open daily from 8am - 6pm located in between Nolita and Chinatown.
PARK at KIMS
119 Elizabeth Street, New York, New York 10013
I first met PARK at KIMS at their pop up with Psyche Olive Oil, Sourmilk, and Nourish Studio at Mellow NYC.
I met Kiki Couchman and Elan Halpern of Sourmilk and Theophilos Constantinou of Psyche but I had a nice conversation with Marissa Lippert of Nourish. PARK at KIMS was so busy that we only chatted for a second but it was nice to meet them and always good to see Elise Wilken of Mellow.
Then ghost. I haven’t heard from PARK at KIMS since. I was wondering what they were up to. Then comes June 2025 and after a meeting with my good friend Christian Schwartz of Commercial Type we walked on Elizabeth Street to get a coffee at Cafe Integral, a spot Chris Black boasts about, and suddenly run into the boys out front of their new shop.
I asked PARK at KIMS when the shop was going to open up and they said very soon. I couldn’t wait. The 4 are the sweetest and most hardworking boys you’ll ever meet. Opening day comes and the flood gates of NYC coffee influencers are off to the races to tell the world. All press is good press.
Days later, we been coming thru the cafe religiously since its inception. The boys ask me what I like to do so I tell them about my food and beverage brand, MATSAR, and have been doing pop ups every week. I thought I’d share what I like to do for fun on the side and meet new people. I gifted them MATSAR coffee and matcha spoons as a accessible shop tool as a welcome to the neighborhood and cafe-warming gift.
On the second week, I came in and thought to plug a lets have MATSAR pop up at PARK at KIMS sometime. Sooner than later, we locked in a date instantly which happens to be their first pop up the following weekend.
We set up another meeting on what’s on the menu in which we locked in our current matcha menu items and introducing 2 new exciting items:
Hojicha by MATSAR making a Iced Black Sesame Hojicha Latte
Kaya Toast made with Pandan Kaya spread on Japanese Milk Bread
MATSAR PARKing at KIMS
September 13th & 14th
9am - 3pm
119 Elizabeth Street
New York, New York
10013
After locking in the dates, menu, and brainstorming for a design of the flyer, I had to work advertising gigs with DAHSAR and put out our latest Wear Many Hats episode with Sophie Chen of Off-Menu Mag.
What I want is something Off-Menu
Having 35mm in your IG username, I assume you’re a photographer that shoots film. Never would I thought that you went to University of Pennsylvania, be inspired by Yowie, Thank You Thank You, and have a magazine dedicated to a community-driven magazine and creative studio exploring the world of food & drink called
When I hopped in the car to make the rounds in Queens to pick up ingredients for our new menu, I had to make a phone call. The phone call was important. It was with our new attorney in intellectual property law for registering MATSAR as an S-Corp. What this all means is I’ve been trying to register MATSAR as a business for the past couple months but it’s been challenging. The reason being of self doubt in not going all in.
How can that be? I spent months in Asia tracking down farms, I come back getting cold feet, then meet with a friend at Stumptown who works at La Cabra that pushed me to do it:
Dahsar's + Matsar
To spice up my world, I started expanding my universe to the things I love:Wear Many Hats is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I drop stacks (money) on trademarks and domains. I wake up one morning in February and post that MATSAR is live. Sell out my matcha a couple times. How come I’m not convinced?
This is some boring stuff people don’t talk about. Registering for a business is pretty exciting if you know you’re about to lock in. The question is: When?
When I registered DAHSAR, my advertising studio, as an LLC at 21, I had no idea what I was doing. I’m glad my dad helped me with the process although I didn’t understand but in time it starts to make sense. My accountant has been filing my taxes for years and we have good conversations about money but at the same time I get good lawless advice where I need other options.
Because of the tariffs and matcha shortage, I picked the wrong time to start this business but it brings me so much joy meeting new people and having to Uber my USM Haller bar cart everywhere.
I get into so many overseas jams with MATSAR packages missing and delayed because of the tariffs. There are bumps in the road of business legalities I’ve never come across. Everyday the law changes so I wanted to have MATSAR set in stone.
I’m on the phone in the car with the attorney and explain what MATSAR is and how we’re going to register it to make it official. The attorney looks up my trademark, looks up my domain, he sees I’m legit. Everything is a go. Sends me paperwork, I read and sign the documents send it back to him all while on the phone and email still in the car. I pay him and the magic begins where we are now incorporated.
MATSAR, INC has a nice ring to it. I thought it sounded nice since I’m friends with PLAYLAB, INC.
Shout out Christian!!!
Same day, same night, PARK at KIMS sends over the flyer and I cook up a caption and we go LIVE the next day.
Pinch me, I’m dreaming.