A coffee culture grows on the West Side 

The West Side coffee shop scene has been growing over the past 10 years. 

Some shops were founded by entrepreneurs – some local, some from further out in Chicago – who wanted to create places where the community could gather over a beverage. Some were part of small, Chicago-based chains and tied into larger development efforts. Some came from nonprofit organizations as part of their larger mission to better the community. 

This growth came at the time when corporate coffee chains largely avoided the West Side. Starbucks opened two stores in Galewood before it opened a North Austin location at 4925 W. North Ave. in June 2023. 

West Siders have told Austin Weekly News over the years that to them a coffee shop isn’t about coffee or food. In communities without many public spaces, they were the welcome “third spaces” where people could casually hang out, and where groups could hold meetings.  The nonprofits and entrepreneurs who opened coffee shops cited that as a major reason why they wanted to open a coffee shop.  

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Some coffee shops closed, and some never got off the ground, for one reason or another. But the overall trend is still growth, and it shows no sign of stopping, This April, Unison coffee opened inside BandWith performing arts center in East Garfield Park, at 134 S. California Ave. 

Speaking of Beelove, the cafe was the brainchild of the North Lawndale Employment Network. In 2004, the group launched a honey production subsidiary called Sweet Beginnings to provide job opportunities for returning citizens who struggle to find work. In 2018, the nonprofit acquired the old Liberty Bank building at 111 S. Homan Ave. to consolidate its operations, while also providing a space for a Wintrust bank branch and a coffee shop. The name “Beelove Cafe” came from the honey brand Sweet Beginnings has been using.  

While the new building was originally slated to open in the summer of 2020, the pandemic delayed those plans, pushing the reopening to February 2021.  

Beelove Cafe takes up most of the west section of the building. While there is a separate Homan Avenue entrance, it’s easy for customers to access other parts of the building.  The organization made no bones about the fact that they hope that customers who might need their services or know someone who might need the services would use the visit as an opportunity to learn more.  

But nonprofits were not the only entities opening coffee shops. Rev. Robbie Wilkerson and his daughter, Destiny Wilkerson, were not the first West Siders to try to open a coffee shop in the past 10 years (more on that in a bit); but they were the first to cross the finish line. What was originally known as Urban Essentials Coffee Cafe opened in the summer of 2023 in Austin, at 5300 W. Chicago Ave., only a few blocks from their home. The cafe, which has since pivoted to the “Spill the Beans” name, emphasized inspiring youth and supporting local entrepreneurs, while also offering space for open mics and other events.  

In 2017, the elder Wilkerson was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering for embezzling more than $100,000 from the federal summer free school lunch program for low-income families. His church, New Birth Christian Center distributed the meals, with Illinois State Board of Education using federal funds to reimburse it. Wilkerson served three years in prison, and his record has been clean ever since. 

The West Side has attracted Black entrepreneurs from elsewhere in Chicago. South Siders Amanda Harth of Pullman and Felton Kizer of Hyde Park launched Monday Coffee in October 2020. In November 2021, it got a contract to operate concessions at Garfield Park Conservatory. The arrangement lasted until the spring of 2023. 

During that time, Harth learned about Starling Community Center, the Duo Development firm’s project to turn a former laundromat at 3243 W. 16th St. into a community center with a coffee shop and a free library.  Monday Coffee became a tenant, opening its new, full-fledged location in early November 2024.   

The last few months saw more entrepreneurs entering the West Side coffee scene. Late last year, Andrew and Hannah Follett, who moved to Austin from Oak Park four years ago, opened the New Sound Cafe at the former gospel records store at 5958 W. Lake St. And, in early January Ryan Weber, an East Garfield Park resident since 2024, opened Semaphore Café in the neighborhood at 3458 W. Lake St.  New Sound takes cues from the past, while Semaphore notably aims for a more high-end experience than many older shops. 

In February 2023, they opened a location at North Lawndale’s Ogden Commons, a mixed-use development at 2644 W. Ogden Ave. that includes Sinai Health System’s One Lawndale Community Care and Surgery Center, a Wintrust Bank branch, La Catedral Cafe & Restaurant breakfast spot and housing. The Austin location opened a few months later at Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development (BUILD) Chicago headquarters, 5100 W. Harrison St.  In early 2024, they opened a pop-up at the Garfield Park Conservatory. 

Momentum Coffee owners Nikki Bravo and Tracy Powell tried to give each location a unique theme.  The North Lawndale location features a mural depicting prominent Black actors and musicians – a nod to Cinespace Chicago Film Studios a few blocks south. The Austin location’s theme is Black history. 

While all those openings were positively received, the chain couldn’t sustain that momentum. The North Lawndale location closed sometime in winter 2025. Elsewhere, the chain’s Englewood location closed later that year, and the flagship South Loop store moved a few blocks north earlier this spring – something that Bravo and Powell publicly acknowledged was largely driven by rising rents and other expenses. 

West Side coffee shops