This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Grant Kessler. Grant is a Chicago Market owner and sits on the Board of Directors. Established in 2013, Chicago Market will be a big, bright, beautiful community-owned grocery store which exists to rebuild the connection between food producers and consumers. While Chicago Market is not open yet, it will be coming to the Wilson CTA Station in Uptown in the 13,000 square foot, restored historic Gerber Building.

Grant Kessler in Studio C at Transistor.

“This is an open grocery store and welcomes all people in the community; we want everybody shopping there.”
– Grant Kessler

Listen to Episode 44 with Grant Kessler!

Here are some references from Episode 44 that you may want to check out:

• Grant loves to cook at home and cooks with local sustainable foods. Over time he connected with farmers and became a local food advocate. Grant is also a food photographer, so his passion and work intersected in this wonderful way and his interested aligned with the mission of the Chicago Market. You can view his food photography work here: Grant Kessler Photography

New owners are given the Chicago Market tote upon joining.

• Chicago Market is a co-op driven by mission and vision. They are not beholden to profit margin like larger chain grocery stores and will work to best meet needs of community due to their grassroots ownership. Chicago Market is open for all.
• Grassroots ownership means Chicago Market is owned by the community. Owners of the market live, work and own businesses in the community.
• Chicago Market will be considered big for a coop at 13,000 sf. once open, but they will still carry a smaller footprint than traditional grocery stores which are usually 75,000 sf.
• Chicago Market seeks to make a strong impact on farm community and bring healthier foods into the city. Chicago doesn’t have a strong local food distribution system and Chicago Market hopes to improve this and connect people back to their food.

The Gerber Building in Uptown.

• Owner rights which come with both direct and indirect benefits. Ownership begins with coop selling shares to the community. There are two levels of ownership: Cultivating and Founding ownership, and shares are purchasable online or at Chicago Market informational events. Learn more here. 
• Direct Benefits of ownership include: voting rights in the business, a patronage refund which consists of a percentage of profit given back to owners at the end of the year if no major expenses are incurred, discounts in store on products and workshops, and a Chicago Market tote bag to shop with.
• Indirect benefits of ownership include: hiring locally and providing jobs to the community by helping to open the store. Chicago Market has a strong commitment to hire in the neighborhood.
• Chicago Market is sustainably-oriented and participate in sustainability efforts like #SheddTheStraw. They don’t have their market space yet by will keep straw use down.
• Chicago market will carry bulk food with an emphasis on reducing plastic. They will also carry beer, wine, liquor, olive oil, and coffee from sustainable roasters. They will carry as much as possible from local regional growers and makers.
• They will also host workshops and cooking classes on how to cook with the food they sell. One class might even feature making fruit preserve. Chicago Market is developing a partnership with neighboring Truman College to hold classes and events.

Grant at a Chicago Market recruitment event.

• Currently, Chicago Market has 1500 owners and has upcoming recruitment session to encourage new owners and reach their spring goal of 2,000. Chicago Market will host their next Market Owner Info Session this coming Saturday, January 26 at 5PM at TrueNorth Café ( ). Learn more here.
• Business can also become owners of Chicago Market! Currently, featured Andersonville business owners include: Big Jones (5347 N Clark) , Candyality (5225 N Clark), The SoFo Tap (4923 N Clark) , Meeting House Tavern (5025 N Clark), and the Andersonville Farmers Market
• Chicago Market is hosting a Mixer at Meeting House Tavern on January 31 from 6-8PM.

Rendering of Chicago Market’s new home in the Gerber Building.

“We are super excited about the location; it is just beautiful.”
– Grant Kessler

• Chicago Market is set to open in April of 2020 in the Arthur Gerber Building which was built in 1923. It is a beautiful terra cotta beaux arts building. The CTA renovated it left empty when it moved the Wilson El station across the street. The location for the Chicago Market is highly accessible, transit friendly and has a parking lot. Click here for an article about the historic Gerber Building
• Grant chose Big Jones as the business he would trade places with. Grant may not be a commercial kitchen person, but loves to cook at home and wants to learn from Chef Paul. Paul has a strong ethos around local food sourcing, as does Andersonville as a neighborhood in general. For example, Lost Larson (5318 N Clark) is buying grains from the mill at Janie’s Farm, and Vincent (1475 W Balmoral) and Hopleaf (5148 N Clark) also source from local farms.

Save the Date!

Visit Chicago Market on the following platforms:
Online: chicagomarekt.coop
Facebook: facebook.com/chicagomarket
Instagram: @chicago_market
Twitter: @ChicagoMkt
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/chicago-cooperative

This week, Laura and Sara are joined by Brenda Webb, Executive Director of Chicago Filmmakers. Chicago Filmmakers is a non-profit media arts organization that fosters the creation, appreciation and understanding of film and video as media for artistic and personal expression. In 2018, Chicago Filmmakers moved from its second floor home in Andersonville to 5720 N. Ridge Avenue, a historic 1920’s firehouse they fully renovated with classrooms, a screening room, office space, and projection facilities. This week’s episode was recorded on-location at the firehouse!

Sound engineer Andy Miles recording Brenda Webb on location in Chicago Filmmakers’ digital classroom.

“Artists are drivers of economic development, yet they don’t always reap the benefits of that economic activity.”
– Brenda Webb

Listen to Episode 43 with Brenda Webb!

Here are some references from Episode 43 that you may want to check out:

• Brenda is originally from Indianapolis. After getting a degree in psychology from the Indiana University, she took a film class that inspired her and ultimately pursued it in film school here in Chicago at Columbia College.
• While in school, she was hired by a post-production editing house. She went into film editing, and got involved with the Chicago Filmmakers because one of her roommates was the founder and they were looking for an extra programmer.
• Chicago Filmmakers was started in 1973 during an artist-run space movement in Chicago. Chicago Filmmakers’ roots were in the art gallery scene and their former name was Chicago Film Group at N.A.M.E. Gallery. They started out as an experimental film screening space on Saturday evenings.
• After moving from N.A.M.E. Gallery to Belmont, Chicago Filmmakers rented a large 200-seat theatre on Belmont, and while they only screened films on the weekends, needed to find a way to supplement their income on the nights the theatre lay dormant. They rented to theatre companies like Lookingglass Theatre, and these type of partnerships with theatres continued when the organization moved to Wicker Park, in what is the current Chopin Theatre, as well. After Wicker Park, Chicago Filmmakers moved to their former Andersonville location. Many of their moves had to do with renting in buildings in which they couldn’t meet the fire code violations due to outdated stipulations on nitrate-based film, a highly flammable type of film that was no longer regularly used.

The screening room at Chicago Filmmakers.

• Chicago Filmmakers screens documentaries, experimental films, shorts, and films from Chicago filmmakers. They also give out $100,000 in grants every year to 8 or 9 artists to create new projects. Some of the grantees have gone on to create web series optioned by both HBO and Netflix. Learn about Chicago Filmmakers grant program here.
• In 2013, Filmmakers purchased a vacant firehouse in Edgewater from the City of Chicago. Brenda had her eye on a firehouse or a church due to the open space needed to set up a film screening theatre. She had to create the grant proposal in two days. In October of 2013, Filmmakers was awarded the building for $36,000. They closed on the building in February 2016, and after closing, immediately began construction. They finally moved into the space at the end of 2017.

The exterior of the Chicago Filmmakers’ firehouse.

• People can view the space from 10:30AM-6:30PM Monday thru Friday. They also rent the space to other commercial filmmakers, but the best way to see the space is to come for a screenings. View Chicago Filmmakers’ upcoming screenings here.
• If there’s one thing that Brenda would pass on to another organization of a similar kind who is just trying to start, do all of the necessary preparations, thinking, research and planning before anything is undertaken.
• Brenda is the founder of the LGBTQ Reeling International Film Festival that was created in 1981. The festival was started to showcase work by niche artists that were not available in mainstream cinema. The first few years of the festival it was mainly experimental and European feature films.
• Brenda, as far as LGBTQ filmmakers from Chicago go, recommends Ky Dickens, a documentary filmmaker, along with Sharon Zurek, among many others like Lisa Cordileone, who’s film Freelancers Anonymous, screened at the festival this past year.
• Chicago Filmmakers’ classes range from almost every aspect of digital film making for both kids and adults, whether it’s screenwriting, to directing, to lighting and sound editing, they provide the whole gamut for those that would like to learn. Chicago Filmmakers have had the summer camp since 2005. View Youth class schedule here and Adult class schedule here.
• Brenda’s favorite movie is called Serene Velocity, a 1970s American experimental short film directed by Ernie Gehr.
• Chicago Filmmakers shows 60mm film and digital cinema using DCP, which is a state of the art way of showing films. Chicago Filmmakers was gifted their projection system by projectionist James Bond, who had has start at Chicago Filmmakers!
• If Brenda could work at any Andersonville business for a day she would work at Women and Children First (5233 N Clark), because she’s been going forever and it embraces the local community.

(from left): Laura Austin, Brenda Webb, Sara Dinges, and Andy Miles outside of Chicago Filmmakers for the special on-location episode of #AlwaysAndersonville: The Podcast.

“We are trying to provide an affordable opportunity to learn filmmaking and democratize the media…Filmmaking is accessible to all.”
– Brenda Webb

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Jes Scheinpflug and Kate Harringon-Rosen, co-founders of Praxis Group. Praxis redefines group and organizational culture so that people feel empowered to bring their full selves to the table and offer support to businesses creating a more inclusive environment. They offer a sliding scale of services for nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals alike.

Jes Scheinpflug (right) and Kate Harringon-Rosen (left), co-founders of Praxis Group in Transistor’s Studio C.

“We give people the tools necessary to create more open and inviting spaces for all.”
– Praxis Group

Listen to Episode 42 with Praxis Group!

Here are some references from Episode 42 that you may want to check out:

• Jes and Kate met after they were both hired for work at a nonprofit in Chicago. Jes was working there as part of their MSW program and Kate was a supervisor. Both gained experience in a workforce development program supporting trans and gender non-conforming adults.
• Jes was Kate’s intern for a year, and while they initially thought they wanted to be a therapist when they got involved with social work, they ultimately decided they could provide the best mental health services through attacking macro-level issues; their switch from micro social work to macro social work happened about ten years ago.
• Jes and Kate had a difficult time picking the name for the business, but they settled on Praxis because a co-facilitator had recommended the term. Praxis essentially means putting theory into practice; it answers the all-important question: how do you live out your important life values through the work that you do?
• Kate is the Director of Training and Curriculum for Praxis, meaning she is responsible for any training programs that Praxis implements. As Director of Operations and Outreach, Jes has the initial conversations with clients about their needs.  Learn more about the Praxis Group team here.
• Jes and Kate, on the website for Praxis, talk about cultural humility, which they offer workshops on. Click here to learn more about cultural humility.

“Cultural humility is the idea that when we are doing work around diversity or inclusion, it’s never complete, it’s always continuing. It’s realizing there is always more to learn and always more to do. “
– Jes Scheinpflug 

• Jes grew up on the South side of Chicago, and after college, served in the Peace Corps in Africa for two years living in Togo with a host family. They were a girls education and empowerment extension agent, and talked with community members about why they weren’t sending their daughter to schools. They opened up the conversation about gender and equity issues in an incredibly remote village with no running water and a population of less than 1,000. After serving, Jes returned to Chicago and moved to Andersonville. They love going to Candyality (5225 N Clark) to raid the blue raspberry candy bins.
• Kate started her career in direct service with communities and is familiar with the sense of urgency and need when approaching clients. She moved to Chicago three years ago and initially lived in Logan Square, but later moved to Andersonville.

Offered by Praxis: Are you nonbinary and tired of correcting people who misgender you? Are you an ally who knows gender can’t be assumed? Order some free #HopefulGender cards (choose from 3 versions) to help have these repetitive and often exhausting conversations: www.praxischi.com/hopeful-gender

• Praxis Group starts any workshop by defining “cultural humility.” They focus on intentional listening. Learn about their workshops here.
• Kate talks about “communities of practice” and one of the long term goals of Praxis is developing a community of practice around creating inclusive and affirming work spaces. Another goal is to help develop training for young Trans and Queer people of color who will be the future trainers for the organization.  
• If Jes could switch places with any business for a day, they would switch with George’s Ice Cream & Sweets (5306 N Clark) or Early to Bed (5044 N Clark) and Kate would switch with Lost Larson (5318 N Clark) because she always wanted to open a bakery.

“Andersonville for me, similarly, has been a place of stepping into and catalyzing my identity in a powerful way”
– Kate Harringon-Rosen

Praxis has worked with several Andersonville businesses: Aligned Modern Health, The Clark at Swedish Covenant, and Women & Children First and will be facilitating the upcoming Being A Stronger Ally:  Trans/GNC Affirming Business Workshop on Wednesday, February 6 at 9:30AM and Thursday, February 7 at 3:30PM at Reza’s Restaurant. You may register by clicking the links above.

Visit Praxis Group on the following platforms:
Online: praxischi.com
Facebook: facebook.com/praxischi
Instagram: @praxischi
Twitter: @praxischi
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/praxischi

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Al Liu, vice president of coffee at Colectivo Coffee, located at 5425 N. Clark St. Colectivo is a Milwaukee-based coffee company that recently opened its largest cafe in Chicago yet. Colectivo Coffee provides house made coffee, tea, seasonal drinks, breakfast items and more to patrons. Colectivo is well-known for its bold designs and customizable approaches to its spaces.

Al Liu recording in Studio C at Transistor.

“Andersonville just based on my experience here really is the kind of neighborhood we like to be in, but is a great fit for our culture and our brand: very neighborhood oriented.”
– Al Liu

Listen to Episode 41 with Al Liu!

Here are some references from Episode 41 that you may want to check out:

• Al is a Milwaukee native but he has lived around the country and in other countries as well. He started with Colectivo in 2000 and worked there for seven years as the Director of Culture and Communications when the company was called Alterra. In early 2008, Al moved to Seattle to work for Specialty Coffee Importer, Atlas. He did that for over eight years, then moved back to Milwaukee about 2.5 years ago to take on the role of Vice President of Coffee.
• Al’s interests in coffee originated after serving in the Peace Corps in Bolivia. He visited a friend who was working in coffee also in the Corps in Bolivia in 1999. Al got to see coffee getting picked and processed, and the rest is history.
• Al’s main responsibility as a Vice President of Coffee is to actually buy the coffees that Colectivo roasts and sells. Most of their coffee comes from Latin America, namely Mexico, Peru and Brazil. The largest origin for Colectivo Coffee is in Indonesia in Sumatra, which is fair-trade and organic.

Al with Roberto Salazar, the general manager of the Fair Trade cooperative Cooperativa Cafetalera La Labor Ocotepeque Limitada (COCAFELOL) in southwestern Honduras. He visited COCAFELOL and two other co-ops from which Colectivo sources last March, and in this photo you can see the ripe coffee cherries that he picked.

• Colectivo Coffee has an extensive team working to coach employees on barista technique and new drink cultivation. For example, the grapefruit espresso drink was a part of their new cold-drink menu upon opening in late summer. View their cafe and food menu here.

The Colectivo Andersonville location.

• There are 13 Colectivo storefronts in the Milwaukee area and four locations so far in Chicago. Colectivo works with existing structures when it comes to designing their cafes. At their location at Clark and Rascher in Andersonville, the original “Cream City” bricks are used, which is a popular material in Wisconsin too. View all cafes here.
• Al considers cafes to be ‘third spaces,’ or basically spaces where people can be comfortable, but not at home and not at work.
• Colectivo was founded in 1993 by three men, Ward Fowler, his brother Lincoln Fowler and Paul Miller. The two brothers had a high-end speaker cabinet business and Paul had a business selling Milwaukee-themed clothing items and sheepskin lined slippers. The two businesses shared storage space in the same warehouse. They began talking to each other about how good coffee was hard to find in Milwaukee, so they made a plan and one year later opened the first retail Colectivo space in Milwaukee. Learn more here.  
• By the time Al joined Colectivo in 2000, they had four stores. The main flagship store was where the roasting and packing happened. In 2002, Colectivo expanded to a lakefront location in Milwaukee in a building called The Pumping Station. The store in Andersonville is the 19th store.

Colectivo gets it’s name from the “Colectivo” or bus found in Southern Mexico.

• The name Colectivo is taken from the artful and funky buses used for transportation in Southern Mexico. “Anyone and everyone can join us on a coffee journey…anyone can get on the bus, so to speak, and have a coffee experience.”  The owners used this name because they also wanted to nod to the far-away regions in which these coffee beans originate.
• Colectivo does not import coffee directly, but uses the services of green importers around the world. Some coffees are featured year-round, while smaller origins are highlighted for sometimes only a few months.
• January, February and March are busier travel times for Al, as he visits locations like East Africa, Mexico and Central America with their different grow seasons.
• Al says the most valuable thing he has learned working in coffee is the power of the human connection.
• The Colectivo creative director, Kevin Callahan, is responsible for the artwork and creative designs you see on their merchandise. He has a studio art degree from the University of Milwaukee, and he used to draw everything by hand.
• Al does credit Starbucks for pathing the way to specialty coffee in the Midwest, their first market outside of the Pacific Northwest. Al expects to see coffee markets pop up in developing countries and countries that typically haven’t seen specialty coffee consumption. Climate change is affecting coffee producers all over the world.
• Al drinks his coffee black and had to train himself to do that. He likes to taste the unique characteristics of each coffee. Al likes his coffee via french press or coffee that’s brewed on a batch machine with a filter. The Chemex method he likes to use on occasion, as it recreates the pour-over method.  Al thinks he could even do a blind taste test!
• If Al could trade places with any other business in the Andersonville neighborhood, he would trade with Reza’s, (5255 N Clark) because he loves the cuisine and the complex flavor profiles.

Don’t miss Colectivo’s upcoming Latte Art Throwdown on Thursday, January 17!

Visit Colectivo Coffee on the following platforms:
Online: colectivocoffee.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ColectivoAndersonville
Instagram: @colectivocoffee
Twitter: @colectivocoffee

This week, Laura and Sara are joined by Alderman Patrick O’Connor. Elected in 1983, Alderman O’Connor has represented the residents of the north side of Chicago since the age of 28. As a lifelong Chicagoan, he has worked tirelessly over the years to serve the community and better the lives of his constituents. On the 40th Ward website it reads, “There’s no more local government than an aldermanic public servant, you are in and among your constituents. You live there, you grew up there, you see the people you serve every day and you feel honored to do your best for everyone.”

40th Ward Alderman O’Connor is this week’s guest on the podcast for our 40th episode!

“A neighborhood is not just a place that you live, it’s a place that you make livable.”
– Alderman O’Connor.

Listen to Episode 40 with 40th Ward Alderman, Patrick O’Connor!

Here are some references from Episode 40 that you may want to check out:

• Alderman O’Connor is a lifelong resident of Chicago. He grew up on the north side and has five siblings, three of which still live five blocks from his house. His mom lived close as well until she passed away in the summer of 2018. He met his wife in grammar school and raised his own five children here, and they all live within a half mile of him.
• He graduated from Mather High School and attended Loyola University for college and law school. He always wanted to be an attorney. When he decided to run for public office, he couldn’t think of a better place to be then the place he had known all his life

Alderman O’Connor speaks during the Andersonville for Equality Rally during Midsommarfest in 2017.

• When Alderman O’Connor first started representing Andersonville, there was a Methadone clinic on Clark Street and he comments on how much the business population has changed over the years. Andersonville has gone from an area on the cusp to, if you look at Redfin, one of the top 10 places in the country to live. According to Alderman O’Connor, Andersonville has a good mix of new and long-time residents.
• According to Alderman O’Connor, in Andersonville, the housing stock is great, schools are doing well and the business District is thriving. Andersonville has hit its stride and Alderman O’Connor thinks the biggest issue the neighborhood is now facing is trying to control the cost of being here, so folks can continue to be here. He believes in advocating for small business owners, and there are nearly 300 in Andersonville alone.

Transit Tees Grand Opening in July 2017.

“Independent business are the hallmark of the district and I do my best to maintain the character of the neighborhood by working with the Chamber, landlords and the City of Chicago.”
– Alderman O’Connor

Lost Larson Grand Opening in June 2018.

• Alderman O’Connor served as the Chair on the Committee of Education Development for 20 years and was instrumental in bringing Northside College Preparatory School to the north side along with the Board of Education and Mayor Daley.  Northside College Prep was the first high school in over 20 years that was built on the north side. There was a need to create an option for residents so that they didn’t move from the neighborhood when looking for a good high school for their children.
• Local schools in the 40th and 48th Ward have become “schools of choice” in this area, and Alderman O’Connor emphasizes the importance of capital improvements in schools. He referenced Amundsen High School at Lawrence and Damen. Enrollment at Amundsen High School is going up and “the principle there is a dynamo.” Alderman O’Connor says great school needs strong leadership and financial help from the City.

Alderman Harry Osterman (left) and Alderman O’Connor at the Aldermanic lunch in 2017.

• The job of an Alderman has two parts: the first is to serve as the steward of the City’s services for the community and to obtain what is needed to maintain a quality of life that is acceptable and achievable for that community. The second role is to help inform and pass on public policy that relates to the entire City directly to the area constituents.
• Alderman O’Connor also Chairs the Workforce Development Committee. This committee is responsible for maintaining fair labor standards. On the day the podcast was recorded, the Committee passed a collective bargaining agreement with the Teamsters Local and earlier this year increased minimum wage and passed an ordinance for earned sick time.
  

  Alderman O’Connor attended the Gus Giordano Dance School 65th Anniversary celebration earlier this year with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and school owner, Amy Giordano (second from right).

• Alderman’s O’Connor helped build the West Ridge Nature Preserve which saved 20 acres of land from being developed. There is a lake in the park that is stocked with fish where people can catch Bluegills and Sunfish. Alderman O’Connor has a soft spot for the location, as he grew up a block west of Rosehill Cemetery and played by the lake when he was a kid. In the future they are looking to add a Natural Playground and Alderman O’Connor encourages everyone in the neighborhood to at least walk through it once. It is filled with incredible wildlife, like deer with full racks of horn. Check out the video here!
• When asked to give advice for upcoming politicians, the Alderman mentions using modern technology as a communicative tool and not as a weapon saying, “When you weaponize those technologies, you take away their effectiveness.”
• If Huey’s were still around, Alderman O’Connor would work there as he has always wanted to own a hot dog stand. Huey’s was a former business at 1507 W. Balmoral and beloved by many. It closed in 2014. If he ever wins the lottery, Alderman O’Connor is going to teach history and own a hot dog stand.
• If given the chance to swap places with and Andersonville business, today he would choose to work at Replay Andersonville (5358 N. Clark) because he loves old video games. He wouldn’t make any money, but he would get better and better at those games.

Visit Alderman O’Connor and the 40th Ward on the following platforms:
Online: aldermanoconnor.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AldermanPatrickOConnor
Twitter: @40thWard
YouTube: AldermanOConnor

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Scott Martin owner of SVEA Restaurant at 5236 N. Clark and Simon’s Tavern at 5210 N. Clark. Since the Depression, Simon’s has anchored Clark Street just north of Foster and Scott has been an anchor of this community. His love for this neighborhood is effusive. You can see Scott walking his dog, greeting patrons at the restaurant and bar, waving hello off the rooftop connected to his apartment above Tilly’s or dressed up as a Viking multiple times a year, most famously during Midsommarfest.    

Scott Martin (right) in Transistor’s Studio C with podcast sound engineer Andy Miles.

“I’m lucky…I hope I never leave this neighborhood.”
– Scott Martin

Listen to Episode 39 with Scott!

Here are some references from Episode 39 that you may want to check out:

• Scott kicks us off during this episode throwing it back to his memories of skating at Rainbo Ice Arena on Clark Street and growing up in his mother’s house. His mother was a secretary at Ebenezer Lutheran Church. His favorite memory is riding the WGN float at nine-years old with Ray Rayner and Chauncey the Duck!
• SVEA means “Mother of Sweden.” The prior owner was Andersonville’s Kurt Mathiasson. Learn more about Kurt here. The restaurant has been called SVEA since the 1920s!

Scott inside of SVEA as shot for the 2018-19 Neighborhood Guide.

• Scott’s favorite menu item at SVEA is the pickled herring, but he also mentions Lutefisk as a choice during the holidays. While not a super popular fish, Lutefisk was soaked in water to preserve the fish in Viking days. He also details the lineup for The Viking Breakfast which includes Swedish sausage, eggs, potatoes, toast, and Swedish Pancakes, and mentions SVEA’s delicious cheeseburger, a Swedish Meatball pressed between the bun. 

“Our cheeseburgers rule!”
– Scott Martin

The speakeasy door in the basement of Simon’s Tavern.

• Simon’s was opened by Simon Lundberg in 1934. It’s the 4th oldest bar in Chicago and served as another meeting point for many of the parishioners of Ebenezer Lutheran. The basement of Simon’s is an old speakeasy! Scott talks about the door with the peephole in the basement. Check out a recent write-up on Simon’s in Umgås Magazine.

The wooden bar at Simon’s was built to look like that of a luxury ship’s.

• The wood bar in Simon’s was designed to look like the bar of a luxury ship, as many patrons of Simon’s in the early days would never have been able to afford a trip on the boat.
• Simon Lundburg also built a bank window (which you can still see today!) in Simon’s Tavern. Many people weren’t trusting of the banks post-recession, and Simon offered workers no fee when cashing their check, plus a free sandwich!

“I understood the privilege of owning the bar because it’s a really cool place, but the responsibility of owning this place has kept me sane.”
– Scott Martin

• Most of the time when you visit Simon’s, you’ll notice that Scott likes to play Turner Classic Movies on the TVs. Anything else is just bad art.
• The Swedish Glögg is a popular favorite, both hot and cold, at Simon’s! What’s in Glögg? Scott gives us a rundown on his ingredients, but he also talks about the tradition of wishing on the Pepparkakor cookie. Learn about the origins of Glögg here.

Tom and Scott Martin.

• Scott and his father, Tom Martin, were recently honored for their contributions to the community at this year’s Swedish American Museum gala.
• Many of the places that Scott wishes he could change places with for a day in Andersonville include the old delis Erikson’s and Wikstrom’s, and of course the old Swedish-owned bakeries. But in current day, he’d like to switch with Transistor (5224 N. Clark) and Calo Ristorante (5343 N. Clark).
• In reminiscing about old Andersonville businesses Scott mentions that where Little Bad Wolf (1541 W. Bryn Mawr) is now, used to be an archery bar! The Calo Theatre, where Brown Elephant (5404 N. Clark) is now, used to be a bowling alley. Scott also mentions the Sip & Straw as the go-to ice cream place, so he’s glad George’s Ice Cream & Sweets (5306 N. Clark) is here now at least!

Scott dressed in his Viking attire during the 2017 install of the replica Water Tower.

“I’ve had nothing but a blast.”
– Scott Martin

Visit Simon’s Tavern and SVEA Restaurant on the following platforms:
Facebook: SVEA | Simon’s Tavern 

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Amanda Norcross co-owner and shopkeeper of Norcross and Scott located at 1476 W. Berwyn. Inside the shop, you’ll find a an array of home goods, furniture and art including wire baskets from Bend Goods and slip cast porcelain objects by local artist and resident Laura Novy. Norcross and Scott also specializes in full service residential interior design, striving to create spaces which are well edited, thoughtfully designed, beautiful and functional. Visit Amanda and her team this week during Late Night Andersonville on December 7 and throughout the season.

(from left) Amanda Norcross with Joelle and Laura in Studio C of Transistor.

“The business owners in Andersonville approach their businesses with a level of passion and care and enthusiasm that resonates for us and makes us proud to be a member of this larger group of people doing very interesting things.”
– Amanda Norcross

Listen to Episode 38 with Amanda!

Here are some references from Episode 38 you may want to check out:

• Amanda is originally from Petoskey, Michigan on Traverse Bay. She went to undergraduate school for Arts History in Colorado, and then came to Chicago in 1998 for her Masters in Architectural Preservation at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
• Norcross and Scott opened in 2015. Amanda remembers opening in March on a 70 degree day. The storefront is filled with new and unusual items that also have a level of singularity to them, making the items unique to Norcross and Scott and not easy to find elsewhere in Chicago. View the online shop here.

Amanda helps customers at the storefront during Small Business Saturday 2018.

• A big part of Norcross and Scott is their design arm. The first step to any new design relationship is meeting with the client in the space that is going to be reworked. With renovation, Amanda and her business partner Scott sit down with their draftswoman first to go over details. Check out featured design projects by Norcross and Scott.

Room designed by Norcross and Scott.

• So far, Amanda’s favorite project of 2018 was redesigning a space for an older couple in the Museum Campus park south of the City overlooking the lake and the Field Museum. Amanda and her team were able to purchase all new furniture, lighting, wallpaper and more.

A sneak peek of the bathroom at the work-in-progress at the “Museum Campus” home.

“What makes a dream project dreamy is when you have a client that trusts your vision and allows you to make suggestions that perhaps are outside their comfort zone.”
-Amanda Norcross

• Products by Bend Goods out of California have been some of the best sellers for Norcross and Scott since opening, and Amanda attributes this to the clean lines found in their designs.
• Amanda is inspired by product designers who are doing work on a very small scale, made by hand, and lasting for a lifetime. For example, Amanda references a lighting company called Allied Maker in New York. She also speaks to the furniture being created with wood and meta, and the work of Danish designer, Valentin Loellmann.
• Amanda and her family love to travel. She sometimes will take her daughter on work trips or to help at the Architectural Digest Design Show in NYC. She also spends a good amount of time cheering on her son at basketball games doing the “Dab” move (until her son told her not to!) and Joelle mentions the “Floss” dance. (If we lost you here, we provided some helpful links!)  
• Nocross and Scott’s social media, particularly their Instagram page, tries to show the different aspects of the job: design in progress, on location, and the storefront.
• If given the opportunity to trade places with another business in Andersonville, Amanda would switch with lead bartender Brian Riester from Vincent (1475 W. Balmoral) in order to know how to make delicious cocktails and how to make everyone happy after work!

Amanda and co-owner Scott Paterek.

“What is most fulfilling about our job is when we deliver something that alters people’s experience of their space. It has happened a couple of times, and it is magic. That is a good day that lasts a long long time.”
– Amanda Norcross

This week, Laura and Sara are joined by Lee Corrina Cano and Miguel Cano owners of The Coffee Studio located at 5628 N. Clark. The Coffee Studio is a modern, independent espresso bar focused on expertly crafting delicious drinks and their mission is to create authentic, warm, comfortable experiences that make high-quality coffees and teas more approachable and accessible for everyone.

Lee and Miguel in The Coffee Studio. Photo by Heidi Liddle.

“We love our neighborhood. We love our community. We love our store, our customers, our staff, and giving that up to try and open elsewhere has never been a priority for us.”
– Lee Corrina Cano

Listen to Episode 37 with Lee and Miguel!

Here are some references from Episode 27 that you may want to check out:

• Lee and Miguel meet in graduate school at the IIT Institute of Design. Both have a background in design, and while they originally opened a design business together, they were interested instead in creating a business that was “bigger than themselves.”
• Miguel grew up in Albany Park and his family owned an auto parts store, so he learned about small business operation from a young age.  
• Prior to The Coffee Studio’s inception, Lee was taking classes at The French Pastry School and anticipating opening a chocolate shop called “The Chocolate Experiment” in which customers could design their own bar; however, both Lee and Miguel were also exploring craft coffee in Chicago at this point. For research, they started visiting Intelligentsia Coffee to learn the process, and ultimately decided they could create their own gourmet coffee experience for Chicago.
• Lee and Miguel traveled to Seattle, Portland, and visited trade shows in preparation to opening. They immersed themselves in the “third wave of coffee,” and wanted to bring to Chicago high quality coffee without the high price tag.
• The Coffee Studio is designed to invite conversation at their counter; it was designed with lower counters and put the espresso machine on a stage. Good design is timeless and elegant. New customers walk into The Coffee Studio today and think the design looks as if it could have been built this year.
• The Coffee Studio has been open 11 years, but Lee and Miguel have lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. Where The Coffee Studio is now used to an abandoned laundromat. Even though The Coffee Studio celebrated 10 years last year, Lee still feels “like a scrappy startup.” The business is a constantly morphing organism. The menu has changed to include flatbreads, craft beers and wines, and craft coffee or tea cocktails. They also make their own ice cream at The Coffee Studio! View the full menu here.

One of The Coffee Studio’s made to order flatbreads.

• In 2009, The Coffee Studio received a nod from Time Out Chicago’s Eat Out Awards for the “Proof that Evolution Exists” category. This was proof, in a way, that Lee and Miguel were doing something with coffee that was on the forefront of third wave coffee in Chicago.
• Now, there are more independent coffee shops than ever in Chicago. There are also more chains, but now they look a little different. To maintain an “old school mom and pop shop” feel, Lee and Miguel hire locally and try to keep as much money circulating in the neighborhood as possible. For example, they treat their employees to gift cards from other neighborhood businesses for birthdays and anniversaries.

One of The Coffee Studio’s barista’s prepping a Nitro Caramel Latte for the 2018 Sweetish Stroll.

• Originally, Lee and Miguel imagined opening more than one location, but they reconsidered when thinking about only “growing for growth’s sake.” They want to make sure to keep The Coffee Studio at a sustainable size.
• Miguel continues to do design work from home, but enjoys stopping by The Coffee Studio for the community interaction. He loves seeing the regulars there on a daily basis.
• Lee appreciates how lucky they have been since opening with press opportunities and mentions a write-up in Bon Appetit Magazine in which they were named one of the Top 10 Boutique Coffee Shops in the country. Even recently, Food & Wine Magazine released Chef Iliana Regan’s Guide to Chicago, in which she mentions her love of The Coffee Studio. Writer Heidi Liddle captured the essence of The Coffee Studio in her recent essay as well. Read here.
• Miguel advises young entrepreneurs to still remain frugal while following their passions. Lee also encourages “understanding the math” behind the business. They have even coached their staff on how best to set a budget, save money, and think conservatively.  
• Both Lee and Miguel take their coffee black! But, The Coffee Studio does make their own syrups and sweet creations. “We want to meet people where they are.”  They will offer an excellent Cortado for the serious coffee drinks, but also offer a peppermint hot chocolate and other sweet creations for those with a different palette.
• If allowed to trade places with another Andersonville business for a day, Lee first mentions Gethsemane Garden Center (5739 N. Clark) to be surrounded by plants all day, but would ultimately pick Norcross and Scott (1476 W. Berwyn). Miguel would love to switch places with Little Bad Wolf (1541 W. Bryn Mawr) because he loves music and appreciates their edgy environment. Miguel’s top playlist song would be Led Zeppelin’s Ramble On, and he’s even added it to some of playlists at The Coffee Studio! The music there is rotated daily.

Then: Miguel and Lee prep Mocha Mouse for the 2008 Andersonville Dessert Crawl.

Now: Miguel and Lee outside of The Coffee Studio. Photo by Heidi Liddle.

Visit The Coffee Studio on these platforms:
Online: thecoffeestudio.com
Facebook: facebook.com/TheCoffeeStudioAndersonville
Instagram: @thecoffeestudio
Twitter: @thecoffeestudio