Tonight was what community's all about. Over 30 neighbors, one clean block, and a table full of matcha and laughs to end the night. Here's the story of how Café Mia teamed up with Stashmaster and Erin — Bushwick's own @bushwicktrashlady — to turn a Monday into something the neighborhood will remember.
Why we did it
Erin's been on a mission. She walks Bushwick nearly every day, camera in hand, quietly making the block better one bag at a time. What started as one person picking up trash has grown into Bushwick Trash Lady — a movement that regularly pulls together neighbors, small businesses, and volunteers to clean up the streets we all share.
When Erin asked if Café Mia and Stashmaster (right across the street at 1126 Broadway) wanted to co-host a neighborhood cleanup, it was an easy yes. Bushwick has given us both a lot in the year since we opened. Giving something back — even just a cleaner sidewalk and a hot meal — was the obvious move.
The night
Around 30 people showed up on a Monday evening — friends of the cafe, Stashmaster regulars, first-timers who saw Erin's post that morning, a couple visitors passing through Broadway who just decided to jump in. Gloves, bags, and picker-uppers came out. Everybody spread across the block and got to work.
An hour and a half later, Broadway between Kosciuszko and Myrtle looked visibly different. Cleaner storefronts. Cleaner curbs. The kind of change you can feel walking by, not just see in a photo.
Then everybody piled into Café Mia to eat.
What it looked like inside
Long tables set with flowers. Matcha in every color our menu makes — pink dragonfruit, purple sweet potato, iced matcha lemonade — plus fresh food to share. Nobody was checking their phone. People who hadn't met an hour earlier were mid-conversation like they'd been friends for years. That's what community looks like when it works.
"Tonight was what community's all about. Over 30 neighbors showed up, cleaned up, shared food, and shared laughs at Café Mia. From Stashmaster and Café Mia — thank you all. Can't wait for the next one."
Huge love to Erin
None of this happens without Erin. Bushwick Trash Lady isn't a corporate initiative or a nonprofit — it's one person who cared enough to start, and kept showing up until other people started showing up with her. Her heart and hustle made this possible. We were honored to be a small part of her vision.
If you want to follow along and join the next one, she's easiest to find on Instagram at @bushwicktrashlady. Bring gloves. Bring a friend. Café Mia will keep the matcha coming.
Same neighborhood, brighter tomorrow
A cleanup won't fix everything. But it does two things worth doing: it makes the block visibly better, and it puts 30 people who might not have met into the same room, sharing a table. Both of those matter. Both stay long after the trash bags are gone.
To Stashmaster: thanks for being the kind of neighbor who says yes when someone asks. To Erin: thanks for asking, and for everything you do the other 364 days a year. To everyone who came out and gave a Monday night to their neighborhood: thank you. Truly.
Same neighborhood. Brighter tomorrow. See you at the next one.
Want to be at the next one?
Follow @bushwicktrashlady and @cafemia.bk on Instagram — that's where the next cleanup will be announced. Or stop by the cafe at 1128 Broadway and ask any of us behind the counter; we'll let you know when the next event lands.