My name is Waqas Shafi, and I’m the founder of Café Rumi; a small, Persian-inspired sanctuary I built in the Financial District to bring warmth, poetry, and human connection into a neighborhood dominated by glass towers.

For two years, Café Rumi became more than a coffee shop; it became a refuge where strangers became friends and friends became family and community. As an immigrant and a small business owner, I poured everything I had into creating a space that reminded people that the beauty and warmth of humanity still matter.

But large-scale development of overpriced, luxury apartments has forced us out of our original home, our community built on peace, love, and tolerance. After 2 years of providing a safe third space, I’m fighting to relocate and rebuild the place so many of you helped bring to life. The importance of a safe third space for the community cannot be understated. In a city where safe community spaces are disappearing, this GoFundMe is my effort to keep that love and spirit alive, to preserve a small, human-scale space in a city where such places are disappearing every day.