Glencoe Couple Opens Second Hometown Coffee Location In Winnetka

WINNETKA, IL — Just over three years after entering the restaurant business with the opening of Hometown Coffee & Juice in Glencoe, Julie and Lou Rubin on Monday opened the doors of the shop's second location in Winnetka.

The 749 Elm St. site is about 2.5 miles south of the original location and currently features the same menu of fresh and locally sourced breakfast and lunch foods, the same La Colombe coffee and the same daily hours — 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Owner Lou Rubin, said remaining close to home while branching out is part of the plan, even at the risk of cannibalizing some of Hometown's existing revenues by losing out on customers who switch stores. He told Patch he expected Winnetka residents who had been coming to Glencoe to become more frequent patrons now.

"We're very involved in our business, and I wanted to pick something that was nearby, even at the expense of a little cannibalism, to give it the attention that it needs. Being nearby was important to me. I really believe that having something that people can call their own is an important part of their business, that there is a locality to it," Rubin said. "What was most important to us is that we preserve the culture and the experience that we give people, and I really think you got to be close by to do that."

Rubin said the goal is to have something for everyone in a place where people can drop by for different types of occasions.

"There's very few places these days where you can have a coffee in the morning on your way to work, meet someone for business a few hours later, come back for lunch and meet a friend and come back after school with the kids, and then at the end of the day for a drink — all in one place, in one day," he said. "We've actually seen that happen, we've seen people come three or four times a day for different reasons"

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Before becoming restaurateurs, Lou Rubin spent almost three decades in the mortgage business before opening the coffee shop, and Julie Rubin worked at a high-end home decor store in Winnetka's Hubbard Woods district. They have been Glencoe residents for about 20 years.

Hometown has already expanded once at 700 Vernon Ave. in Glencoe, back in November 2019, which wound up allowing it more space to pivot toward to-go, curbside and socially distanced outdoor service, Rubin said. Early next year, Hometown is planning to open a new private and special event space on the second floor of the original location.

Following an amendment to Winnetka's definition of Class F liquor licenses, Hometown will be permitted to serve alcohol after 11 a.m. in Winnetka, as it does in Glencoe, offering cocktails, wine, beer and "spiked shakers" with fresh juices, pending a final sign-off from state regulators.

Located across the street from the site of the failed One Winnetka development, Hometown's new, approximately 2,300-square-foot store is larger than the Glencoe site.

"That One Winnetka development, really, I think, set people back, because it's such a tremendous amount of square footage that's not being utilized," Rubin said.

"I really believe this will be the center of town once they work that out."

The fate of the One Winnetka parcels remains entangled in legal issues surrounding a foreclosure suit against its developer, more than two years after the Village Board terminated an agreement to allow a five-story mixed use development.

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The new Hometown Coffee space became available in September 2020 after Café Aroma closed after 16 years on the corner of Elm Street and Lincoln Avenue. Landlord Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate filed an eviction lawsuit against the business, which was later settled.

Hometown has about 45 employees in Glencoe and is likely to eventually have a staff of a similar size in Winnetka. Rubin said it has not laid off any employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The most stressful part, was on day one, not knowing how it would play out and just this responsibility for not only people's health but their livelihoods," he said. "That was not a fun period. It was very overwhelming. Even though we did well, it was extremely stressful."

Related: Glencoe Cafe Staff Take Two Coronavirus Tests Before Reopening

The coffee shop also pivoted amid the coronavirus to offer sales with an app and curbside delivery.

"We really, I think, perfected it," he said. "Because we were able to really increase our business by having people come through, and it created a sense of normalcy for people during COVID."

Hometown also expanded its heated outdoor seating areas, which Rubin said he pursued even prior to the pandemic.

"Two years ago — before COVID — I did igloos, and we were the first to really do igloos in the suburbs," he said. "We had two of them and they were a huge hit. They were these 10-foot, round domed igloos, and I'd already planned always to do it in 2020 — I didn't know that it would become a necessity instead of a special thing."

Rubin said he had eight of them custom built by a contractor who helped with the shops' buildouts, then shared the plans with nearby restaurant Guild Hall, 694 Vernon Ave., which also had some made.

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The most popular food items on the menu at Hometown Coffee & Juice tend to be the avocado toast and bagel melts, Rubin said. Pastries and other baked goods are provided by several local small bakeries.

The larger kitchen in the Winnetka location could allow for more culinary experimentation in the future, but for now, Hometown's owners are sticking with a model that has worked so well in Glencoe.

"It's not an easy business. It's actually very hard," Rubin said. "But it's very, very rewarding when you get a good response from the community. When you get the support, it's an amazing feeling. "