On most mornings in downtown Tampa, Café Hey hums quietly–espresso machines hissing, neighbors drifting in and out, familiar faces exchanging nods across small tables. But later this month, that familiar calm could give way to drums, firecrackers and the bright movement of a traditional Chinese New Year lion dance if the community can raise enough money to make it happen.
The Tampa Heights shop’s long-running tradition is now an uncertainty. Rising costs have put the annual tradition at risk, prompting Tampa-based muralist and community advocate Michelle Sawyer to step in with a GoFundMe.
“I don’t want to be the person who says, ‘Remember when they used to do the lion dance?’” she told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “You never know when the last one might be.”
Sawyer is organizing the fundraiser to cover performers, musicians and basic logistics—expenses that Café Hey owner Cheong Choi worried were no longer within reach. As of this publication, Sawyer’s fundraiser at less than $100 of its $900 goal.
Choi, a graduate of H.B. Plant High School in South Tampa, grew up in the Bay area before living across the United States, China and Europe. When he returned in 2007 he brought those influences with him, opening Café Hey with two friends he’d known since high school.
“The café was just about making a place where people can be together,” Choi said. “That part came naturally.”
That openness is what drew Sawyer to Café Hey more than a decade ago. In 2015, she helped paint a mural on the exterior of the building to raise awareness about a proposed interstate expansion that threatened the space. Since then, the café has remained a constant in her life—something she describes as “an extension of family.”
At the time, downtown Tampa was quieter and less developed. Café Hey became one of the few spaces consistently hosting art shows, music nights and informal gatherings, long before the area became desirable. Over time, it evolved into a cultural anchor, especially for artists.
“Artists tend to show up at coffee shops,” Choi said. “So I tried to make it an environment that’s nonjudgmental. If you can behave, you’re welcome here.”
That openness is what drew Sawyer to Café Hey more than a decade ago. In 2015, she helped paint a mural on the exterior of the building to raise awareness about a proposed interstate expansion that threatened the space. Since then, the café has remained a constant in her life—something she describes as “an extension of family.”
She worries about losing that. As Tampa changes rapidly, Sawyer has watched long-standing businesses disappear.
“Every month, every week, someone’s saying, ‘That place is gone,’” she said. “I have a soft spot for the little guys who’ve been here a while.”
Over the last two decades, Cafe Hey has proudly been the quietly consistent, artsy underdog in a rapidly expanding downtown. While it’s fairly isolated, the nearby expansion of the Riverwalk and Armature Works has brought a much more corporate crowd to the area. Still, the shop regularly hosts budding artists at its local mic nights, on its walls, and at one of the area’s best markets for punk zinesters and budding vendors. Not to mention its period pantry.
For Sawyer, the fundraiser is about more than one afternoon of music and movement. It’s about preserving the places that shape Tampa’s creative identity.
The fundraiser has no hard deadline, but the tentative date for Café Hey’s Lion Dance celebration is Saturday, Feb. 21. Sawyer said raising the money at least two weeks before a potential event would allow organizers to confirm performers and logistics.
“These are the places that make people fall in love with this city,” she said. “Not the flash-in-the-pan stuff. This is where Tampa’s roots are.”
In past years, the celebration unfolded quietly as part of the café’s rhythm.
Inside, the lion blessed the doorway and counter. Outside, crowds gathered for photos and red envelopes, symbols of luck, were exchanged. This year, nothing is guaranteed.
“It’s a happy event,” Sawyer said. “And I think that’s something people really need right now.”
Choi, who now balances the café with the neighboring Oceanic restaurant supply business and family responsibilities, feels the pressure of rising costs and a changing customer base–but says the mission hasn’t changed.
“It’s harder for weird people to survive,” he said with a laugh. “But we’re still doing the same thing we’ve always done.”
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This article appears in Jan. 29 – Feb. 04.