Chicago’s Caffe Streets to Open Micro Shop at Damen Blue Line “L” Station

The Damen Blue Line Station

The owner of Chicago’s Caffe Streets has signed a 10-year lease for an 80-square-foot retail space at the Damen “L” station on the Blue Line, the Chicago Transit Authority says.

The new coffee bar, expected to open sometime this summer, is a joint venture involving 36-year-old Caffe Streets owner Darko Arandjelovic, Brent Norsman, an architect and owner of Copenhagen Cycles, and Kevin Heisner, owner of Bangars & Lace and The Anthem, according to a report from DNAinfo.

“The CTA liked the idea we were all local [and] already own businesses in Wicker Park,” Arandjelovic told DNAinfo, adding that the project is an “80-square-feet challenge.” Supplying coffee for the new location will be another new project led by Arandjelovic, Metric Coffee Roasters, which he described as a “fully new wholesale coffee roasting company .”

The current Caffe Streets location on W. Division

While the limited space is sure to result in an efficient drinks program, Caffe Streets currently offers a variety of espresso drinks, along with four brew methods for its coffees, at its current location at 1750 W. Division. Here’s more from Caffe Streets on how they approach each cup:

In our travels over the years, it was almost like a game- no matter the city, the people, the culture, could we find the perfect cup? From the hum of the streets of Istanbul to London, New York, Tokyo and countless more, we searched for the places that drew people in from the outside- people of varying countries and cultures, languages and voices, all gathered together, sharing their ideas and their lives and the small moments of their days, over a perfect cup of coffee.

We came back to Chicago to open such a place. And to share what we’ve learned about coffee along the way.

With our state-of-the-art espresso machine and a variety of brewing methods to choose from, we consider ourselves the last link in an incredible chain. We will do everything in our power to honor the dedication and care that has gone into each coffee, the hard work and passion that infuses every cup.

It all starts with the hard-working farmers who focus on the quality of their product and the best coffee cherries. By working with a variety of coffee producers, our roasters aim to foster a community of hope and opportunity among them. Our great passion for our work means that we exercise full awareness over this particular supply chain: the producers at origin, transport and our roasters, who pay extreme attention to every element during the roasting of these high quality beans.

At Caffe Street, we believe that diversity, good relationships and great passion reward us with endless possibilities. And the perfect cup.