Bluestone Lane
Coffee · 55+ locations · NYC, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Nashville, Savannah GA, NJ
Bluestone Lane brands itself as Australian café culture with its own Brooklyn roastery, but it's run on outside money: a minority stake from Stephen Ross and Matt Higgins' RSE Ventures since 2018, and an outside CEO, not Nick Stone, running it since 2024.
The Big Picture
Founder Nick Stone stepped back to executive chairman in October 2024, and Edie Ames has run Bluestone Lane since; 2026 records still list her as CEO. Baristas at three Philadelphia cafés, who described a $7.25 base wage while organizing, voted 17-0 to unionize in 2024. The chain answers to outside investors and professional management as much as to its founder.
The Dirty Details
Ownership
RSE VenturesPrivate Equity
RSE Ventures is a New York private investment firm co-founded in 2012 by Hudson Yards developer Stephen Ross and Matt Higgins, investing across sports, media, food, and lifestyle brands; its wider portfolio has included Momofuku and VaynerMedia. On Ferret it appears as Magnolia Bakery's outright owner since 2021 and a minority investor in Bluestone Lane since 2018.
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Company data last updated September 2026
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