A Texas resident found himself reliving the charm of a Brooklyn bodega without leaving home, thanks to a creative surprise from his wife.
An Austin influencer captured the internet’s attention after organizing a bodega-themed birthday celebration for her husband, transporting him back to his New York roots.
Joel Duverge, originally from Williamsburg, initially resisted the idea of having a birthday party, as his wife Kristen revealed to The Post.
“I thought, ‘How can I change his mind?’ and the moment I mentioned a ‘bodega’ theme, his eyes lit up,” shared Duverge, 44. Their “Bodega Brunch” video quickly became a hit, amassing 1.8 million views across Instagram and TikTok.
Kristen, a mother of two, meticulously recreated an authentic NYC bodega in her kitchen, naming it “J&J Grocery.” She included genuine scratch-off lottery tickets, milk crates, and typical signs reading “ATM Inside” and “OPEN.” No detail was overlooked, including a plush grey and white cat lounging on the bagel case.
“That was the color of the cat he remembers from his childhood bodega,” Kristen explained.
On her counter, she displayed mini bags of chips on a rack; a box of mini Hostess cupcakes; a Styrofoam carton with Snapple — and a griddle, where she served BECs wrapped in foil.
“The bacon egg and cheese, that’s just New York, all day, every day, to this day,” she said.
She even left out the letter “D” on the sign that read “COFFEE LOTTO SAN WICH.”
“If you go down to South Williamsburg and you just go into the little markets, something’s always misspelled,” she said.
For drinks, the creative hostess poured what looked like lemonade — but was actually margaritas — in plastic deli containers with a hole on the cover for the straw.
Dessert included Joel’s favorite childhood candy — Lemonheads, Chick-O-Sticks, Laffy Taffy and Airheads.
“I was texting with his best friend who also grew up in the same area,” she said. “He was telling me what they used to buy for like 25 cents.”
All the decor, including beer wrapped in brown paper bags and a table with dominoes, was inspired by the stories Joel, 39, told her about his local bodega — Santos Grocery on South 2nd Street.
“He always told me about how his dad and his buddies would go to the bodega. It was like a hang-out. They would have their beer in the brown paper bag. They’d be sitting outside, sometimes playing dominoes,” she said.
Many online picked up on all of Duverge’s details, praising her with accolades like, “Drink in the paper bag is classic,” “Cat on the bread sealed the deal!” and “You had me at “SANWICH.”
Others said it made them miss NYC.
“Omg, why this makes me emotional and touches me deep. This was my childhood in Brooklyn, NY. The corner store was everything. I can’t love this enough,” one gushed.
“Ugh I’m now homesick,” another added.
“Joel got emotional too,” Duverge said. “When we sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ he teared up, which he never does.”
Some pointed out some things they would have added.
“The blue coffee cups was the only things that was missing,” one said.
“My only beef with this is: mija those BEC shoulda been on a roll not a bagel,” one observed.
“Growing up it was always on a roll, but we did bagels because that’s what he loves,” Duverge explained.
Duverge seems to have started a trend — as many commented on her post, saying they plan to throw bodega baby showers or kids’ birthday parties.
“A couple people wanted to throw a bodega summer party. I was like, ‘Do it in the front and turn the pump on if you can,’” she said.
Duverge, a native of Las Vegas with Puerto Rican roots, moved to Bushwick in 2011, and met Joel, of Dominican heritage, at a Fourth of July barbecue at McCarren Park the following year.
They moved to Texas in 2018 — and do try to replicate their NYC experience by ordering bacon, egg and cheeses there.
“I mean, are they the same? Absolutely not,” she said. “Can you go to the corner store and get them? No. So we make a lot of them at home.”
Whenever they return to Williamsburg, Joel always finds an excuse to visit the bodega.
“He’s always like, ‘I’m going to the store. What do you need?’”
