Colectivo Coffee Chooses Church Street Corner For Evanston Cafe

EVANSTON, IL — A new coffeeshop could be coming to fill the former Radio Shack site at the corner of Sherman Avenue and Church Street. Colectivo Coffee, a Wisconsin-based chain of cafes hopes to open up its second location in the Chicago area in downtown Evanston, according to an application for a special use permit to be considered by Evanston's Design and Project Review Committee Wednesday.

The cafe says it will offer coffee, tea, espresso, smoothies, house beer, tea sodas, freshly baked goods, sandwiches and all-day breakfast. It would operate daily, generally between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., according to an overview of its operations included with the application.

The application says the company would make a major investment in renovating and building out the space, "adding tremendous value to the property [and the] neighborhood, while positively activating the corner."

Colectivo plans to offer drinks and snacks to-go during the morning and dining in the cafe during the rest of the day, it said in the application. The company said it also has been recognized for multiple sustainable practices and featuring organic products and initiative.

The company that is now Colectivo was founded in 1993 in Milwaukee and was formerly known as Alterra. It sold its name to a subsidiary of Mars Inc. in 2010, but the 17-cafe chain said it decided to end the relationship after a few years and re-brand with a new name.

Colectivo Vice President Scott Schwebel says the company hopes to open next year if Evanston officials approve its application.

Radio Shack had occupied the 716 Church St. location on the southeast corner for more than 26 years before it closed in May, the president of the real estate firm that manages the site told The Daily Northwestern at the time. He said he had been told it was always one of the retailer's most profitable locations.

_{Top photo: The site of the proposed 716 Church St. site of Collectivo Coffee in 2016, before the Radio Shack closed. | Google Street View}