After hosting several pop-ups, Amanda Harth and Felton Kizer now have their own storefront.

Block Club Chicago reports the pair are now proud owners of Monday Coffee, located in Chicago, IL’s North Lawndale neighborhood.

 

Prior to opening the storefront, the founders had been making their mark in the area through various pop-ups, including events at Soho House Chicago and the Obama Foundation, since launching the company in October 2020.

The pair were creating what they believed to be a “safe space.”

“Being able to be in North Lawndale and serve a community, create a safe space through art, and continuing to use coffee as a vehicle is basically the foundation of Monday Coffee,” Harth told the outlet. “It’s important for Black people, Brown people, to have a safe space to exist. With the pandemic, a lot of those spaces disappeared.”

For a two-year period starting in 2021, customers could find Monday Coffee as a pop-up at the Garfield Park Conservatory’s Horticulture Hall. Their time at that location encouraged the founders to create a permanent home.

“We built up a huge part of our customer base on the West Side when we were in the Garfield Park Conservatory, and it started to show up wherever we were,” Harth explained, according to Block Club Chicago. “When we found out that Duo was looking to build a community space and incorporate coffee, it just made sense.”

The goal of the shop goes far beyond serving customers drinks like cold brew and matcha; the founders also aim to educate the community on coffee and its origins.

“Coffee is inherently Black,” Kizer explained to the outlet. “I don’t think the average consumer understands that the birthplace of coffee is Africa — Ethiopia to be exact.”

What’s more, the store will be connected to a library, sound studio, and garden, as well as community space through a partnership with Duo Development. Duo launched the Starling Community Center project, a $1 million initiative, with the help of funding by the Chicago Community Trust, the city’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, and an Equitable Transit Oriented Development Grant.

To support the coffee shop, visit its location at 3243 W. 16th St.