A University of Chicago professor and author, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a media-based organizer — three friends coming together to run a socially conscious coffee shop and book store in the Woodlawn neighborhood.
The trio — Eve L. Ewing, Trina Reynolds-Tyler and Andrea Faye Hart — are officially taking the reins at Build Coffee, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave., in late June.
The new partners are all friends, and friends of Build Coffee’s current owner and co-founder, Hannah Nyhart, who announced about a year ago that she planned to sell her business.
“We talked to so many people about potentially taking over Build, and what was really special about this team is they shared a really deep commitment to Build’s values and what we could be in our community,” Nyhart told Block Club Chicago. “As a founder, that’s a huge gift to know that this thing you built with your community is in good hands and can grow and thrive.”
The coffee shop first opened in 2017.
Ewing, Reynolds-Tyler and Hart say they don’t plan to drastically change Build, but rather build on what’s already there.
“Although we were not business partners before this, we each have really strong relationships and a very strong network of trust with one another. So it’s a very Chicago story …,” Ewing told the Chicago Sun-Times this week.
Ewing said that at a time when many people feel a “sense of despair” and “overwhelmed with all of the awful news in the world, … one place to begin is to go to your neighborhood coffee shop and to connect with your neighbors.”
Historically, there have not been a lot of similar places on the city’s South Side, Ewing said.
There are also plans to expand the bookstore, said Ewing.
“We have a very limited space, and so we will be focused on books that encourage the nourishment, celebration, joy and resilience of our local communities,” Ewing said.
The coffee shop also provides a small venue for performances, workshops, gallery shows, book groups, game nights and other events.
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