Bed-Stuy bakes up dough to save beloved Bread Stuy eatery
By Mike Mclaughlin and Sam Goldsmith - NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Neighbors of a beloved Brooklyn coffee shop are working on their own bailout for the local hangout.

Bread Stuy on Lewis Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant was shuttered last week because owners fell behind on more than $20,000 in back taxes.

The neighborhood stepped in, donating and lending owners more than $10,000, and the shop reopened Saturday.

"It's more than just coffee," owner Lloyd Porter said of his shop. "We host gatherings for new neighbors. We do a Christmas tree lighting every year, and my wife and I dress like Mr. and Mrs. Claus."

Peaches, a restaurant down the block from Bread Stuy, hosted a Super Bowl party fund-raiser for the coffee shop and eatery last night.

"It's not just a business thing, it's a personal thing," said Peaches co-owner Craig Samuels, 40. "Lloyd is the unofficial mayor of Bed-Stuy."

"It has become such a part of the neighborhood," said Claudia Siambert, 24, a regular customer at Bread Stuy. "Everyone is really happy here."

The owners say they were blindsided by late fees and penalties that piled up from their tax woes.

Java lovers were stunned last week to find a "seized" notice posted on the storefront in the trendy Stuyvesant Heights area.