Philz Coffee Takes Wicker Park Location to Enter Chicago

CHICAGO, IL—Chicago-based Hubbard Street Group and co-developer Centrum Realty and Development have added two retail tenants at their Wicker Park Connection mixed-use development, just west of the intersection of Division Street and Ashland Avenue on Chicago’s Northwest Side. The leases include the first Chicago-area location for San Francisco-based Philz Coffee and the second Chicago location for Washington, DC-based [solidcore], a Pilates-based fitness studio.

Philz Coffee plans to open its 2,100-square-foot Chicago flagship store in summer 2019 and plans to expand its presence with additional Chicago-area store openings next year. This marks the second market outside of California for the brand, which specializes in coffee blends individually handmade and personalized to each customer’s taste. The new location will also offer a selection of locally sourced baked goods and freshly made foods.

“Philz Coffee felt an undeniable kinship to the Wicker Park neighborhood, as it’s similar to our San Francisco roots,” says Jim McPhail, chief growth officer of Philz Coffee. “We’re excited to bring that laid-back feeling to Chicago for coffee lovers who want to relax and drink coffee that’s prepared how they love it. Each coffee shop features design elements that reflect its surrounding neighborhood, and we love to invite local artists to display their work in our shops. Philz is excited to plant new roots in Chicago starting with our Wicker Park coffee house.”

The developers of Wicker Park Connection have also executed a lease with [solidcore], which will open a 2,350-square-foot studio in 2019. The chain, whose 50-minute sessions are held on “Sweatlana” resistance machines custom-built and patented for [solidcore], entered the Chicago market last year with a location in River North.

“Chicago has embraced [solidcore] and we are looking forward to expanding throughout the city,” says Bryan Myers, chief operating officer of [solidcore]. “Wicker Park is a great neighborhood with diverse residents and the fact that the building is brand-new, allowing for complete customization, made it a logical choice for our brand.”

In total, Wicker Park Connection, located at 1640 W. Division Street, and an adjacent first phase called Centrum Wicker Park, at 1664 W. Division, house more than 20,000 square feet of ground-level retail space anchored by a 12,800-square-foot Target store, which opened earlier this year. Other commercial tenants include national salon and beauty provider Salon Lofts, which will open a 5,000-square-foot location at 1640 W. Division in December 2018, and blow dry bar Blo, scheduled to open a 900-square-foot studio at 1664 W. Division in 2019.

“With these latest commercial tenants, we’ve curated a true mix of lifestyle, health and wellness offerings that, we hope, will resonate with our residents and the broader Wicker Park community,” says John McLinden, managing partner of Hubbard Street Group. “This entire development is meant to be an experience – from the apartments, to the amenities, to the retail that lines our public plaza. As a result, we sought to partner with brands that would add to the buzz surrounding Wicker Park Connection, as evidenced by the brisk pace of leasing.”

Wicker Park Connection, a 15-story, 146-unit rental community, offers a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units that are 80 percent leased less than six months after welcoming first move-ins. It is currently being marketed for sale with the 60-unit Centrum Wicker Park, which opened in 2016 and is fully leased. The buildings are separated by a public walkway called The Connection that, when completed in 2019, will link Milwaukee Avenue and Division Street.