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Why have one love affair when you can have many under one roof? We’re so excited to introduce our bigger, bolder space LOVE AFFAIR BASEMENT!
What is evolving?
You’ll still find us at the same iconic corner on Hackney Road, but soon we’ll have a beautiful new basement space for the community. This space will support artists, women, trans and queer young people, and anyone looking to showcase their personal projects. Plus, we’re hoping to have a therapist come in regularly to support young trans and queer folks personally and professionally.
By day, our traditional Portuguese café will continue to thrive upstairs, serving delicious coffee, warm food, mouth-watering wines, and the best pastel de nata in the UK (as featured in the Guardian, Vice, The Stylist, Time Out, and more, and praised by our wonderful neighbours!). Downstairs, the basement can be rented for workshops, pop-ups, conferences, private functions—whatever you have in mind.
By night, a quirky wine bar with cocktails will come to life, offering casual dining, theatre, cinema, stand-up comedy, kings and queens nights, cabaret, live music, and lots of glitter, of course!
What got us here:
As two proud Portuguese women, we wanted to bring the best of our country to London, so in 2013, we opened a little shop on Columbia Road. We showcased a broad range of products that we felt represented the beauty of Portugal. Three years later, our passion grew, leading us to open the ‘Side B’ of this Love Affair: our café/restaurant on Hackney Road. With the perfect outdoor space by the park, our summer parties drew the crème de la crème of our wonderful community, enjoying our iconic Portuguese treats while sipping crisp vinho verde or ice-cold beers
Why grow, you might ask, and why now?
With bills higher than ever and independent cafés and clubs closing down all over the country, especially queer-friendly spaces—well, that’s exactly why now! If you know us, you know how much we love bringing people together around food, music, drinks, and laughter. It brings us so much joy, and we’ve been told we’re pretty good at it, too. LOVE AFFAIR BASEMENT is about spreading love, and in these tricky times, we want to bring positive energy and love to as many magical people as we can… but we need your help!
What do we need?
Dinheiro! Siiiiim, cash, cash, dollar, dollar, and a lot of DIY! The 60K we’re aiming to raise will be used to transform a raw basement space into a lively community speakeasy. Major refurbishments are already underway, but there’s still so much more to do. Our transformation includes a new kitchen, bar, and toilets, a movable stage, a light and sound system, and soundproofing all areas, while of course paying the rent, salaries, and all the taxes (extra boooo for taxes).
We’ve got 11 exciting perks on offer, starting from just £5, which you can redeem from the opening day! We understand times aren’t amazing for everyone right now but really, any help is greatly appreciated. And please, please, please SHARE this campaign with your friends, family, and anyone you think will love it!
Tell us more about the new space:
We’re keeping the café on the corner and the outdoor space, but we’re expanding into the basement to give us a larger kitchen and more room for everyone, especially during the winter or in summers like this one! The Basement will be divided into two rooms: a kitchen with a chef’s table for intimate dining experiences, and a bar with a stage area for showcasing any projects you have in mind to the world.
Finally, thank you for everything! Thank you for reading this far, for supporting us over the years, and for helping us bring the spirit of LOVE AFFAIR BASEMENT to more people. We love you all very much and can’t wait for you to visit our café, which is still open and thriving while all the work takes place underneath. You’ll find us at 326 Hackney Road, so please come and share your feedback and ideas with us. Let this project be your project too!
Beijinhos
D&O
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