Williamsburg mainstay Toñita's attracts a new generation to the social club
When Maria Antonia Cay opened the Caribbean Social Club in the 1970s, it catered to a working-class community where people from the neighborhood could find reminders of home — whether that was Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic.
The area, known as Los Sures, was once home to mostly Puerto Ricans who came to New York in search of better prospects.
But in the nearly 50 years since the club — which is better known as Toñita’s, after a nickname of Cay’s — opened its doors, the once industrial, blue-collar neighborhood around it has now become one of the city's most coveted real estate markets, brimming with modern high-rises and luxury brand storefronts.
Despite the changing surroundings, Toñita’s has fended off challenges to its continued existence. It remains a sanctuary for new arrivals to the city, including migrants and asylum-seekers who’ve arrived in the last year.
Read the full story at Gothamist.com.
