Knock Out Café bringing coffee, art and yoga to 13th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Knock Out Café is set to debut at 530 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The owners are Julio Garcia and Felipe Sarmiento (from left below), who are partners in life and in the business.

Aside from traditional café fare such as coffee and pastries, Knock Out will sell magazines and apparel. The downstairs space will be a gallery with new artists each month, with plans for Saturday morning yoga classes.  

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the Knock Out website... and Instagram account.

For more than 28 years, this space was home to The Baroness, who closed her eponymous latex atelier and boutique and moved to France in 2021.

I emailed the Baroness in France to say hi and give her an update on her home for so many years.

"I was just telling someone how long the shop has been empty, which seemed rather depressing," she said. "So I'm delighted that it has been taken over — please pass along my best wishes for their endeavor."