SHINY THING$ 0129 ✨

Sharing a conversation over coffee is an integral part of everyday happiness for many.

But it’s more than that.

It fosters community, unites individuals, embodies cultural traditions, and for more than half the country, it plays a key role in the small rituals that make our days whole. 

It’s a ceremony. 

For the team at Rally, its a part of our past, present, and now our future as we prepare for a shift in the retail model here at Rally that we wanted to tell you all about, here in the 129th installment of Shiny Thing$…

As a tech company headquartered in downtown New York City, the “local coffee shop” is a one-per-block phenomenon - each with it’s own personality and it’s own regulars. But the Coffee Shop and everything that comes with it has arms that extend beyond just the brick & mortar surrounding our Soho HQ. In the categories in which the business of Rally operates, it’s become synonymous with relationship building, dealmaking, and culture.

In no category is this more obvious than "Cars & Coffee" events that have steadily gained popularity all over the country.

For the uninitiated, these are the informal weekend gatherings where car enthusiasts meet early in the morning to display their vehicles and socialize over coffee. These events typically occur in parking lots or similar public spaces and are open to anyone with an interest in cars, from classic models and exotics to muscle cars and modern innovations. They’ve become the right of passage for many enthusiasts making the jump to serious collector, and we’ve actually made some of our strongest connections in the space through meetups from Hayfields outside of the city to the CarPark events here in Manhattan. 

The importance of these meetups isn’t just in getting to show off your car. They're about the stories behind them. Owners share the histories of their vehicles, personal anecdotes, and technical insights, enriching the cultural tapestry of the community.

They also level the playing field - something thats been core to Rally’s mission since before the business was even incorporated. You’ll find the multi-millionaire with a vintage Lamborghini that shares the same passion as the 17 year old who plays Gran Turismo using that exact car out front - and they’ll be talking the same language, looking like old friends who’ve known each other for decades. And it’s all done with a double espresso in hand. 

It’s that relaxed atmosphere and the success of Cars & Coffee events that has allowed it to expand en masse to other collectible categories. We now see more “Trading Cards & Coffee” meetups, trunk shows for vintage items based around the …& coffee model, and massive luxury brands expanding their reach with cafes and hospitality offerings to focus more on individual connections to their consumer. The value in that connection is more clear than ever, and these “third spaces” continue to be important gathering locations that not only cater to category-specific enthusiasts, but also enrich the local communities where they take place. 

With that in mind, we’re a couple short weeks out from launching the next phase of connecting Rally with the collector community: “Museum Coffee” here at 446 Broadway. Because now, more than ever, Coffee and Collectibles are better together. 

Starting the 2nd week of May, a portion of the Rally Museum at 446 Broadway will be open on weekdays starting at 8am serving our own coffee & tea and limited run pastries in a cafe setting built around the assets and aesthetic we’ve been curating for the past half-decade. 

What to expect:

Events & Meetups: We’ve always made sure our spaces and popup events create the IRL experience of the Rally app. Museum Coffee will amplify the current calendar from the every-now-and-then schedule to full time, with community events and weekend meetups on a regular schedule. This will start with cars, and expand to all asset classes as we continue to expand the cafe model. 

Perks for Rally Members: The Museum Coffee checkout systems are connected to the Rally app to continuously add new benefits for users, including free and discounted items specifically for Rally shareholders - no additional loyalty cards or memberships necessary. And as always, you’ll be the first to know whenever new products launch or events go live. 

Drops and Collaborations: In previous activations, we’ve worked with brands that go hand in hand with coffee & community (like La Marzocco, Leica, and others). This space gives us the opportunity to bring the Rally platform and the assets you all care most about to bigger audiences with drops and collabs that merge cafe culture with collecting.

As pervasive as the “Cars & Coffee” model has become throughout the automotive community, we’re excited to show you all what we’ve been building and help push that model through all collectibles communities with the same momentum. The museum cafe model at New York’s most important institutions is a sterile afterthought. At the Rally museum, it will be front and center to match the enthusiasm that many of you have witnessed here first hand, and others have been able to watch on social media and through the insanely positive reviews of those who have attended events and activations in the space. 

We look forward to welcoming ALL of you to 446 Broadway for some conversation over an espresso. Maybe there will even be some cars lined up out front ;-)

Follow Museum Coffee on Instagram for grand opening details - we’ll be DM’ing invites.

Until Next Week…