Suzanne RozdebaFrom left: Yurij, Gregory and Larissa at Elsewhere Espresso.

Earlier today, Gregory Bohdanowycz, 33, his sister, Larissa, 30, and their younger brother Yurij, 27, put the finishing touches on Elsewhere Espresso, the coffee shop they’ll open on East Sixth Street later this week.

Mr. Bohdanowycz described the project as a “work in progress,” explaining with a laugh, “There’s probably a lot of baggage from just being brothers and sisters for so long.” On the other hand, the siblings don’t pay rent, because their family owns the building. “Once we get going, we’ll be paying rent by the year’s end. But I don’t think we’ll get kicked out,” he quipped.

Ms. Bohdanowycz said she wanted locals to think of Elsewhere as “a neighborhood place,” so the shop will offer free WiFi with coffee purchases as well as tables and chairs made from the refurbished space’s original floor beams.

Suzanne Rozdeba Owner Gregory Bohdanowycz, 33, chats with
a local.

Their coffee – mostly Central American, with some Indonesian and African varieties – comes from Coffee Labs Roasters in Tarrytown, N.Y. The menu includes drip coffee ($2), pour-over ($2.50) espresso ($3.50), cappuccinos and lattes ($4.50). They will also eventually offer breakfast foods including egg-and-cheese sandwiches, served up with sausage from the East Village Meat Market on Second Avenue.

Mr. Bohdanowycz said he was aware that the East Village has changed quite a bit in the 10 years since his family bought the building, and described an influx of college students as “both good and bad.” He added, “A lot of the older people feel that maybe it’s changing for the worse, but we’re hoping to change it for the better. It’s a big reason to open up a place like this, to have an influence on what the neighborhood feels like.”

Elsewhere Espresso, 335 East Sixth Street (between First and Second Avenues); (646) 476-3173