When did New York start calling and what was the catalyst to move there?

I used to come here as a kid a bit. My mom had a friend who was a broadway actor back in the day, so we would come up from PA and see his shows. We would always stay in Times Square which always felt overwhelming, and that is what I thought New York was. I did a few skate trips here later where I saw some better parts, but it still felt too crazy for me. I never wanted to live here. But, after spending 3 years in Los Angeles I was kind of lost. My cousin was living in Brooklyn and said I could crash on his couch so I just packed up and left LA. My mom was living in the city too at the time so that made the move a little easier. As soon as I got here I instantly fell in love. I actually worked in Times Square for a few weeks when I got here. Super random. Now I am married and raising 2 kids here.

Mac Daddy

Mac Huelster originally hails from Minnesota, and much like his idol Prince, has a strong sense of style and deep-running roots to the city. Now residing in New York for over 16 years, Mac is a very in-demand menswear stylist, has his own coffee brand, and recently partnered with some friends to open a unique space that showcases artists, books, apparel and naturally sells his coffee. When he finds the time, Mac likes to escape the city and spend the day fly-fishing on the Hudson. Very suitably-dressed of course.

Tell me about family life and growing up in Minnesota?

Minnesota was a great place to grow up. I am from Twin Cities, which offers a nice balance of city and residential living. I grew up near where my parents grew up, so it really felt like home. I left MN in 1995 and moved to a suburb of Philadelphia. From there I moved to LA and have been in NY for close to 17 years, but Minnesota still feels like home. I go back often. ‍

What about your teen years, what were you into at the time?

Teenage years were spent outside of Philly. I used to take the train to center city every weekend to skate Love Park and City Hall. Occasionally we would venture out, but most of our time was spent at those two spots. I’ve always been into different types of music but grew up mostly listening to Rap. My friend group had some good older siblings that got us into all the right stuff. Because Minnesota is in the middle of the country we were down with it all. East Coast and West Coast. And of course being from MN Prince is a huge part of my life. He’s the hometown hero for sure.

“And of course being from Minnesota Prince is a huge part of my life.”

When did New York start calling and what was the catalyst to move there?

I used to come here as a kid a bit. My mom had a friend who was a broadway actor back in the day, so we would come up from PA and see his shows. We would always stay in Times Square which always felt overwhelming, and that is what I thought New York was. I did a few skate trips here later where I saw some better parts, but it still felt too crazy for me. I never wanted to live here. But, after spending 3 years in Los Angeles I was kind of lost. My cousin was living in Brooklyn and said I could crash on his couch so I just packed up and left LA. My mom was living in the city too at the time so that made the move a little easier. As soon as I got here I instantly fell in love. I actually worked in Times Square for a few weeks when I got here. Super random. Now I am married and raising 2 kids here.

How did you get into styling?

Styling was pretty random for me. I never grew up paying attention to fashion, but skating and rap music was all about style. I read those magazines and noticed it. I always liked clothes and getting dressed. I worked retail for the first few years in New York and started PA-ing on fashion shoots from there. From PA work I started assisting stylists, and eventually started booking my own jobs. I probably did it for 3 or 4 years before really dedicating my life to it.

I know your focus is on contemporary menswear, so maybe you tell us a few of your favorite brands of late?

I actually am a pretty simple dresser. I don’t shop much. But, some classic brands that I admire are CDG, Yohji, Armani, Prada. Some more contemporary brands I am into are South2 West8 and all the other Nepenthes brands, BODE, Daytime Novella, Adsum, and Csillag. But I basically wear jeans and t-shirts everyday.

How did your relationship with Leon Bridges come about?

One of my good friends Swaim grew up with Leon's manager. When Leon was first getting started he had a show at the Apollo and wanted to wear a Tux. I had never dressed anyone for a performance before so I didn’t really know what to do. On top of that I was in Palm Springs for a wedding. I called my buddy Jay who was at Dior at the time and he was thrilled to help. Jay took a chance on Leon and on me. I am very grateful for that.

You’ve lived in Brooklyn for a while now, so what are the major changes that you’ve seen over the years?

I moved to Brooklyn because I had no choice. All the change here is pretty typical. The gentrifiers are being gentrified. For a moment before the pandemic Brooklyn was more expensive than the city. A lot of my friends moved back to Manhattan because it was cheaper, which is crazy. I think its evened back out. Where I live is great for my kids, but its a bit boring.

Where did the idea for Young Coffee come from and who’s involved in the business?

Young Coffee was an idea me and my friend Stu had like 10 years ago. We wanted a coffee shop that was super simple and not precious. But it was just an idea. Cut to years later me and my oldest friend Joe Garvey decided to give it a shot. We had a small clothing brand at the time and were thinking of doing a pop-up that looked and felt like a coffee shop. When Covid hit it all got put on hold, but I had already started talking to the roaster and decided to try selling beans online during lockdown. People were down right away. Over the next 2 years we slowly built the online business. We also did some pop-ups and thing started to open up. After doing a regular pop-up at this restaurant Magdalene we realized a permanent spot was possible.

“For the coffee we keep it super simple. We serve coffee two ways. Hot and cold. That’s it.”

And now with 109 Montrose Street, not only does it sell Young Coffee, but also has apparel from LQQK and a great selection of books and work from rotating artists. What sparked the idea for the space? And what’s the plan moving forward?

109 Montrose came from Alex at LQQK. He knew about the space and wanted to open a little retail spot to expand LQQK as a brand. We thought the coffee would keep the steady traffic and compliment the retail part nicely. The three of us have similar backgrounds and share the same interests. It all came together pretty naturally. For the coffee we keep it super simple. We serve coffee two ways. Hot and cold. That’s it.

The retail side of things will always change. The brands, books and music will always rotate. We also want to keep the space active. We haven’t even officially opened yet, and we’ve done pop-ups with Big Love records from Tokyo and Reebok. Keeping the space fresh is very important to us.