At Land to Sea, the Brooklyn coffee shop gets a Chinese twist

By Nick Youssef

There is no shortage of coffeeshops in Williamsburg. There’s a good chance you’re reading this article in one now. If you aren’t, there’s a non-zero possibility a coffee shop has just been constructed around you and you should probably order because you’re now holding up the line you didn’t know you are standing in.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy high quality caffeine options at every turn. Call me an — well, an addict. But let’s face it, the look and feel of coffeeshops have become as stale as the teeth shattering croissants and sugar bricks they pass off as granola bars. You want something with a unique twist that’s still Brooklyn through and through? Pay a visit to Land to Sea on Graham in East Williamsburg.

Emily Shum and Eva Zhou, co-owners of Land to Sea — a “creative space that puts culture and community first” — had a distinct plan: “At the core, it’s an homage to our parents immigration stories and how we try to represent that in the food we eat and the art forms we celebrate,” Zhou explains.

Both of Chinese descent, Shum is a Brooklyn-native born to immigrant parents, grew up in Sunset Park and lived with eight other family members in a three bedroom apartment. Zhou’s family lived in Houston, Omaha and outside of Atlanta before Eva herself decided, “I wanted to see the world. So I moved to New York City.” They met at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), when a professor asked students to pair up on a class project. “We looked around and saw we were the only two Asian-Americans in class and said yeah you,” explains Shum.

After brief stints working for clothing brands, (Shum for Supreme, Zhou for Converse), they left fashion and decided to go into business together. They sat down and conceptualized Land to Sea at, where else, a coffeeshop. “Win Son Bakery!” they both said in unison.

But why coffee and not some kind of fashion outpost? “Coffee is universal and accessible. It’s easy to hang out, invite friends and kick it. It’s not as formal as a sit down dinner. The kind of environment that allows people to be creative and open and have these kinds of open discussions,” says Shum.

The moment you walk in you’re greeted with an array of Chinese pastries and baked goods such as the bolo bao, roast pork buns, egg tarts and the mini bolo bao sandwich. “In the medium of coffeeshops you’ll see croissants and scones so we wanted Chinese pastries to do that same thing,” says Zhou. Shum adds, “Growing up in south Brooklyn this is what we had at the bakeries.”

The retro-futuristic design of the multi-use art space that makes up the back half of Land to Sea is also an homage to the types of marketplaces in China their families would frequent. And here, it’s a portal to art, creation and the future. “The aesthetic is split between the main space and back, we make sure to keep the place fluid in concept. We’ve done jazz nights, comedy and film nights with a projector in the back,” says Zhou.

Land to Sea celebrated a one year anniversary at the end of 2022 which is no easy feat as a two person business. “Aside from our front of house team, it’s just me and Emily. We’re the execs, CEO and the plumbers, HR and the managers,” says Zhou. And for 2023, there is no sign of slowing down. They’re roasting their own beans with a team at Brooklyn Navy Yard as well as expanding their gallery offerings. “Every season we’ll have a group exhibition. Opening receptions with music and food. We’ll highlight local artists and artists of color. Every pop up or product sold under our roof a percentage of proceeds gets donated to a non profit,” says Zhou.

This month is a part of a new year in more than one way. On January 28 and 29, Land to Sea will co-host a Lunar New Year flea market with design studio, Overice. They will feature vendors and businesses like Da Wang, Ada Jewelry and Beadaholic NYC and more. And to top it all off, a live Gu Qin (classical Chinese instrument) performance. Grab a bolo bao and a coffee and enjoy.