“A couple’s pandemic passion project has grown into a business.”

West Humboldt Park, Chicago, Illinois
2,222 sf / Renovation
Completed 2022

Latina-owned coffee company Tasa Coffee Roasters opened its first café in West Humboldt Park with Chef Jackie at the helm. The storefront has become an instant community gathering place in a corner of Chicago that suffers from a lack all-day restaurant options. Stop by Tasa on a Saturday morning and you’re likely to see everyone from remote workers staking out a morning “office” to a “Hora de Cuentos” - a popular storytime series that frequently returns to Tasa to entertain neighborhood children.

Tasa Coffee Roasters reactivates a vacant storefront that needed significant work just to become a viable commercial space once again. Via Chicago helped the client secure grant funding through the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, which helped cover the cost of major utility upgrades that will benefit both Tasa and any future tenants of the block. In collaboration with Aida Napoles - interior designer leading AGN Design - Tasa welcomes all into its coconut-lavender latte scene.

Architect: Via Chicago
Interiors: AGN Design
General Contractor: Level Construction
Photography: Diana Paulson

Featured in Chicago Magazine, December 2022
Featured in Block Club Chicago, September 2022