Caribbean social club at 50 still resists New York’s gentrification
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Maria Antonia Cay, widely known as Toñita, at her social club in Brooklyn. Photo: Courtesy of Jesse Ilan Kornbluth
Toñita's, one of the last remaining Caribbean social clubs in Brooklyn, has survived for 50 years as a "home away from home" for thousands of Latinos in New York City.
Why it matters: After years of gentrification, local Latino-owned businesses like Toñita's Caribbean Social Club are few and far between.
Driving the news: A giant block party is being held Sunday in honor of Maria Antonia Cay, widely known as Toñita, and her club on its 50th anniversary.
Flashback: After leaving Puerto Rico, Toñita opened shop in "Los Sures," a historically working class Puerto Rican neighborhood in the south side of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the 1970s.
- At the time, the neighborhood was dealing with extreme poverty, a drug epidemic, gang violence and high crime. Toñita's was originally a members-only space for local baseball players.
Zoom in: The area has since drastically evolved — the average rent price for a studio in Williamsburg goes for nearly $4,000 and the social club is now less than a 10-minute walk from stores like Chanel, Hermes and Supreme.
- Having declined several offers from developers interested in purchasing her space, Toñita maintains her club will continue to be a safe haven for Latinos in the city.
- "They've offered me up to $9 million and I don't plan to sell ever," Toñita said in Spanish in a recent interview. "We'll stay here as long as God wants."
Rebecca Rios, a club regular and organizer for La Sala De Pepe, a Latino New York art space, says gentrification has erased spaces that intentionally offer community — but not Toñita's.
- "When you walk in you see the tangible history and impact she's had on the community."
Inside the room: Toñita's is a tiny space with a massive impact.
- "It is like stepping into a combination of a little shack in Puerto Rico, your grandmother's living room and your favorite local dive bar all combined into one," says Veronica Sanchez, an organizer for the Bori Collective.
- Every day, Toñita serves traditional Puerto Rican food to visitors, for free.
- Fania salsa hits play on the jukebox, pool and dominoes tables are never without players, and the walls are adorned with framed portraits of Toñita and community members.
- Unlike the marked-up cocktails of the city, Toñita's offers $3 Medalla Puerto Rican beers and $4 mixed drinks.
Fun fact: Notable Puerto Rican artists like Rauw Alejandro, Residente, and Guaynaa have all paid visits.
- In 2021, Madonna and Maluma spent time at the club for a Rolling Stone cover story.
- In 2022, Bad Bunny celebrated the release of his acclaimed summer album "Un Verano Sin Ti" at Toñita's.
For Puerto Ricans like Giovanni Gonzalez, who is from San Juan and has lived in New York since 2018, Toñita's is a home away from home.
- Gonzalez says he felt connected to his roots only once he started visiting Toñitas.
- "It's not easy for Latinos who come to New York to survive," he tells Axios. "To have a place like this is really important because it literally feels like you're at home."
