A cool new café and gallery is making its way to Bleeker Street this year called Do Not Feed Alligators. While we certainly don’t disagree with that sentiment, locals may be confused by the name without understanding its proper context.
Do Not Feed Alligators is a brand new café concept from Swiss Photographer David Shama. Shama’s latest book is called Do Not Feed Alligators and documents his journey across the southern United States, particularly an area in Florida known as “Alligator Alley” that divides the north and south Everglades. Shama spent over five years collecting photos from his many trips across the country and released them as a standalone book in 2019.
Since then, his book has garnered some serious acclaim and helped put his name on the map. The popularity earned by his book has enabled David to open up a café of his own, named after his book of course, at 337 Bleeker Street.
Do Not Feed Alligators, also known as DNFA, is described by David as “A place for exquisite coffee, tea and pastries, meeting with equally interesting people and discussing the beautiful art books made available to you.” Part café, part store, part gallery, DNFA is a multifaceted concept that seeks to bring people together through honest dialogue about art over a strong cup of coffee.
No word has been given yet as to when David hopes to launch DNFA, but the Instagram page for the store just went live last week. Be sure to follow along for the further updates as they progress. And seriously, do not feed Alligators – sewer gators or otherwise.
