New Starbucks hopes to perk up Gage Park, West Englewood

Romonica Davis drives down South Western Avenue each day on her way to work, usually passing a vacant lot at West 58th Street.

Recently, she noticed that lot has become a Starbucks, at 5807 S. Western Ave., across the street from a laundromat and a pancake house, and near an auto shop where she dropped her car off Tuesday for a repair.

Davis took that opportunity to check out the new coffee shop, which Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th) cut the ribbon for during its grand opening Tuesday on a chilly, rainy day — fittingly similar to the weather where the coffee giant calls home in Seattle.

Davis doesn’t go to Starbucks much, but she probably will stop by more often now that it’s on her way to work.

“I ended up seeing this when I was on my way to work one day, and I’m like, ‘Oh, they’re putting a new Starbucks right here. That’s nice,’” Davis said as she waited for her mango dragonfruit drink.

It’s the second Starbucks to open in the 16th Ward, which spans parts of the Chicago Lawn, Gage Park, Englewood and West Englewood neighborhoods on the South and Southwest Sides. The other store opened six years ago.

“Now, 35 new job positions and over $3 million investment right here at 58th and Western — down the street from where children from either Gage Park High School or Ombudsman will have an opportunity to work in their community,” Coleman said, before putting on her own green apron and stepping behind the counter to make and serve a strawberry refresher and later a caramel latte.

Coleman credited Starbucks for opening as some other retailers have left the area. A Whole Foods at 63rd Street and Ashland Avenue closed last year after being open for six years. 

“Western Avenue is the street that bridges the Black and Brown community together,” Coleman said. “It was once the home to a Jewel-Osco, a Pizza Hut and just a thriving retail district, and so we are thankful that Starbucks saw an opportunity to seize a vacant piece of property on Western Avenue to bring back that yearn and that drive for retail, but most importantly, job opportunities for this community.”

Coleman added: “I hope that this is a clarion call to all retailers, all of the anchors, to please invest in community.” 

Ophelia Alvarez, the new location’s store manager, has worked her way up at Starbucks. Growing up in the community, she struggled some days to find her next meal. 

“I thought my life would always continue to be that way. When I first started at Starbucks, I think that I found a family that I never knew that I could have,” Alvarez said.

Now, as store manager, she wants to help provide the feeling of belonging to her employees.

“I never would have thought that Starbucks would provide me an opportunity to not only just grow within the company, but to become a leader and to lead children, young adults like myself,” Alvarez said.

She added that the company wanted to hire people who live in the nearby neighborhoods “because that’s who’s buying from us and investing in us, so it was only right that we give more than we take.”

Akeisha Walker grew up in Englewood and lives in South Shore. She’s the district manager for the new store and the Englewood location, and said the company doesn’t want to turn its back to the community.

“I think what sometimes people forget is that Black and Brown communities are consumers also, and we like to have some of the same things that everyone else has in other communities,” Walker said. “We aren’t going anywhere, and we do provide jobs and we do provide educational opportunities.”

Customers steadily rolled through the drive-thru throughout the afternoon, and some walked inside to get a look at the new store.

Daniel Martin, who lives down the street, ordered his usual coffee with extra cream and sugar. 

“I love to drink coffee. I’m a coffee head,” Martin said. “I go to Starbucks often; I go to the one on 95th and Ashland on my way to work.”

Martin will be taking advantage of the much-closer store from now on.