Bronzeville Coffee & Tea
Bronzeville Coffee and Tea’s motto – “Where coffee and community meet” – finds its epitome in Co-Owner and charismatic barista Richard Chalmers. He knows almost everybody who walks in by their first name, what drink they want and how they like it served. But the most noteworthy thing about Bronzeville Coffee and Tea is – that it’s in Bronzeville, a South Side Chicago community where coffee shops are pretty hard to find.
And that’s exactly why founders Richard and Co-Owner Trez Pugh opened it at the end of 2005. “I had friends from the North Side who had moved down to Bronzeville because it was close to downtown and housing was affordable,” Richard said. “But one of their complaints was that there were no coffee houses.”
It wasn’t planning so much as chance that brought Richard and Trez into business together. While Richard was rooting around Bronzeville looking for space to open up a shop he came across a space for lease that Trez, whom he’d known since kindergarten, happened to own. With a little coaxing, Richard convinced Trez, whose background was in real estate, that they could make it work.
They went to see their local alderman, who was enthusiastic about the idea, and, after two years of planning and a zoning change, opened for business.
From the beginning, their goal was to make Bronzeville Coffee and Tea a place for people to meet up, and for coffee to be the excuse. “We saw potential in the community and saw where it was going,” Richard said. “And the community has supported us really well. We’re able to sustain ourselves.”
Richard and Trez found out about CCV shortly after they opened at a time when they were trying to build the business. “We couldn’t hire a marketing firm or consultant on our own, but we could take CCV’s Market and Customer Development Training class,” explained Richard, as he held up a dog-eared white binder from the class that he still keeps behind the bar.
The knowledge they got from CCV’s marketing class helped them develop and hone their vision for Bronzeville Coffee and Tea. “The key thing we got from the class,” Richard said, “is always try to think about what do you want this place to be, what do you want it to be known for. And we want it to be a place for people to relax and enjoy each other’s company.”
If the response from regulars is any clue, Richard and Trez appear to be on the right track. “I like the vibe here – the art, the music. It’s a good place to get into a political argument,” said Bronzeville resident Koi Mensah, while sitting at the bar. “Plus, the coffee is actually pretty good.”
In June 2009, Bronzeville Coffee and Tea expects to open its second store in nearby Hyde Park, also on the South Side.
For more information on Bronzeville Coffee and Tea, visit www.bronzevillecoffee.com.