For the past eight months, David Cogen has balanced dual roles. By day, he is a YouTuber and creator behind TheUnlockr, where he reviews phones, tests e-bikes, and explains how food smokers function. During night, morning, and any other available time, he is an entrepreneur working to establish a coffee shop in Brooklyn called Coffee Check. The venture began late last year when Cogen needed a new workspace after his previous lease expired. Initially, his new business idea did not unfold as planned, leading him to convert the space into a coffee roastery. Subsequently, he noticed it had a street-facing entrance and decided to open a café as well.
Coffee Check opened in late August, and it is notably busy for a new establishment tucked away on a residential street in Greenpoint. The café is spacious and open, featuring a long counter and bar on one side and a large communal wooden table on the other. Customers can be seen working from comfy chairs, utilizing the fast Wi-Fi and abundant electrical outlets. The interior is enhanced with smart lighting, designed both for aesthetic appeal and to sustain indoor plants. The coffee shop reflects the influence of a technology enthusiast.
Cogen arrives at Coffee Check around 10:30 AM, checks in with the baristas, and offers a tour. Beyond the café, he reveals a fully equipped production studio available for rent on Peerspace, adding a third dimension to his business ventures, alongside YouTube and the coffee shop. He expresses particular enthusiasm for the kitchen, which allows for interchangeable appliances to facilitate potential kitchen gadget reviews on YouTube. A collection of e-bikes and a large Samsung TV—both related to future videos—highlight the intersection of his interests.
Cogen then introduces the podcast studio, featuring furniture sourced from Finland, which also serves as a showroom for the supplier, further extending his business interests. He initiates a discussion about his journey, detailing his transition from YouTuber to coffee shop owner.
In an episode of The Vergecast, Cogen narrates how he integrated the phrase “coffee, check” into his brand and cultivated a deep comprehension of coffee to launch Coffee Check. He continually reflects on balancing content creation and coffee, contemplating how to maintain a local business’s essence without turning it into a mere content vehicle. Cogen strives to navigate these challenges, investing his resources to ultimately enhance the creative process.
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