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People and Pop Culture

In The Office: Coffee / The Strategic Agency

PATRICK MCCARTHY

A floor below the busy Manhattan intersection of Mott and Broome streets, where the world’s finest horse-drawn carriages were once manufactured for the Astors, Carnegies and Vanderbilts, are the offices of Coffee, the digital marketing side of Peter Stern’s sports and entertainment agency, Strategic. It’s a unique workplace with a caffeinated atmosphere. You enter by walking through a “speakeasy door” within the Café Grumpy coffee shop at street level.

The 161-year-old building was once Brewster & Co.: “Carriage Builder for the American Gentleman,” which made the Rolls Royce of horse-drawn carriages, long before automobiles. It’s 5,000 square feet of urban chic, with an open floor plan, within which the 25 or so employees work in a space partially illuminated by natural light from the street above. From below, you can see the pedestrians. An office bar is an homage to agency clients Diageo and Labatt.

“Real estate people thought I was crazy, looking for an office with a coffee shop, but I wanted a space that showcased digital marketing and innovation,” said Stern, whose other clients include OppenheimerFunds, IHG, and Medtronic. “We’re demonstrating all that, even before you sit down.”

— Terry Lefton

The arched grotto serves as both restaurant and meeting space. PATRICK MCCARTHY
Service elevator dating to the 1850s that was powered by horses walking the length of the building.PATRICK MCCARTHY
The “speakeasy door” from the coffee shop down to the officePATRICK MCCARTHY
Individual work spaces are surrounded by multiple breakout rooms.PATRICK MCCARTHY
Spiral staircase leads to and from the coffee shop upstairs.PATRICK MCCARTHY
Stern: “It’s a fun art piece. I’m from Cleveland. ‘Cleveland Rocks.’”PATRICK MCCARTHY
A gold Clio award for Strategic’s work with Under Armour for Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in 2014.PATRICK MCCARTHY
Sports memorabiliaPATRICK MCCARTHY
A winking Mr. Giabbit, a mascot for the Yomiuri Giants, a memento from a trip to Japan.PATRICK MCCARTHY
Stern’s simple desk area showcases a variety of framed pictures, trophies and boxing gloves.PATRICK MCCARTHY
Natural light from the street above helps illuminate the cozy reception area.PATRICK MCCARTHY
Stern’s father scored Ohio State’s first soccer hat trick (against Michigan). He also played lacrosse for the Buckeyes. His letterman sweater hangs in the office.PATRICK MCCARTHY
Stern’s well-traveled 2006 Forty Under 40 award from SBJ, and an oversized beer bottle from longtime client Labatt.PATRICK MCCARTHY
Another look at the workspaces that mix original brick, reclaimed wood and modern flair.PATRICK MCCARTHY

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