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Colectivo Coffee secures license for Roscoe Village cafe, its 8th Chicago shop

Colectivo Coffee secures license for Roscoe Village cafe, its 8th Chicago shop

Money Moves Chicago, IL local

Milwaukee roaster opened its eighth Chicago shop on Oct. 21, across the intersection from a Starbucks

October 21st, 2026: Roscoe Village cafe opens

Overview

Updated Oct 23

Colectivo Coffee opened its Roscoe Village cafe at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 2032 W. Roscoe St. It is the Milwaukee roaster's eighth Chicago shop and 24th location overall.

The first visitors got a free Roscoe Village tote while supplies lasted, and the shop sells a limited-release coffee bag designed by Chicago artist Emma McKee. Her cross-stitched panel, a skyline take on Colectivo's bird flock logo, is installed inside the cafe. The storefront faces a Starbucks across the Roscoe and Seeley intersection.

Why it matters

One Roscoe Village corner now has three coffee options in sight, testing a Milwaukee roaster against a Starbucks.

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Key Indicators

8
Chicago locations
The Roscoe Village cafe is Colectivo's eighth Chicago shop.
24
Total locations
Total Colectivo cafes, including the Roscoe Village shop that opened Oct. 21.
1
Starbucks across the intersection
A Starbucks sits on the southeast corner of Roscoe and Seeley, facing the new cafe.

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People Involved

EM
Emma McKee
Guest artist for Colectivo's Roscoe Village cafe
Her Guest Artist coffee bag went on sale when the Roscoe Village cafe opened Oct. 21

Organizations Involved

CC
Colectivo Coffee Roasters
Coffee roaster and cafe chain
Opened its eighth Chicago cafe, in Roscoe Village, on Oct. 21, 2026

Milwaukee-based specialty coffee roaster with 24 cafes across Wisconsin and Illinois.
Starbucks
Starbucks
Coffee company
Operates the store across the intersection from Colectivo's Roscoe Village cafe, which opened Oct. 21, 2026

Global coffee chain whose Roscoe Street store faces Colectivo's new cafe.

Timeline

1993 October 2026

7 events Latest: October 21st, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Roscoe Village cafe opens

    Latest Opening

    Colectivo opens its eighth Chicago cafe and 24th location, giving away a Roscoe Village tote while supplies last and selling a Guest Artist coffee bag designed by Emma McKee.

  2. Business license issued

    Regulatory

    Chicago issues business license for the Roscoe Village cafe.

  3. License inspection passes with five violations

    Regulatory

    City inspectors pass the Roscoe Street address after recording five violations, including missing handwashing signs and no covered garbage can in the basement employee restroom.

  4. Lakeview cafe opens on Southport Corridor

    Opening

    Opens Lakeview cafe on Southport Corridor.

  5. Roscoe Village plan reported

    Report

    Patch reports Roscoe Village cafe planned for September.

  6. First Chicago cafe opens

    Expansion

    Colectivo opens its first Chicago cafe.

  7. Colectivo Coffee founded

    Founding

    Colectivo Coffee founded in Milwaukee.

Scenarios

1

Colectivo opens Roscoe Village cafe on schedule

Deadline passed (Oct 25, 2026)

Discussed by: Secret Chicago's opening-day coverage

Colectivo opens at 2032 W. Roscoe St. at 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 21 as announced, with the full menu, the limited-edition coffee bag designed by Emma McKee, and free totes for the first 250 guests. The store settles into daily hours from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

2

Opening slips past late October

Possible Resolves by Nov 15, 2026

Discussed by: Patch's earlier reporting, which pegged a September opening that did not happen

Colectivo's September opening target already slipped to October. If construction or staffing problems push the date again, the cafe opens later in the fall without the opening-day tote event, and the Roscoe corner stays a Starbucks-only coffee stop for longer.

3

Colectivo's Roscoe Village bet fails

Uncertain Resolves by Apr 30, 2028

Discussed by: Local coffee coverage, which frames the opening as a head-to-head test across from an existing Starbucks

The corner already has a Starbucks, and Colectivo chose the site anyway. If the cafe cannot draw enough regulars facing a global chain on the same corner, Colectivo could close the Roscoe Village location within 18 months, a move visible in city license records.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1987

Starbucks enters Chicago (1987)

In 1987, the year Howard Schultz bought Starbucks and took it national, the company opened its first store outside the Pacific Northwest in Chicago. The city's dense neighborhoods became a template for the chain's urban expansion.

Then

Starbucks spread across Chicago and made it one of its largest US markets.

Now

Chicago became a high-density Starbucks market, and coffee chains treated the city as a required stop.

Why this matters now

Colectivo, a Milwaukee regional roaster, is pushing into that same market and opening directly across from a Starbucks, a head-to-head the 1987 entry made thinkable.

1995

Intelligentsia Coffee founded in Chicago (1995)

Doug Zell and Emily Mange founded Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood in 1995. The roaster helped pioneer direct-trade sourcing and built a national reputation from a single shop.

Then

Intelligentsia expanded to Los Angeles and New York while staying rooted in Chicago.

Now

It helped make Chicago a recognized specialty coffee city alongside chain options like Starbucks.

Why this matters now

Colectivo enters a city with both heavy Starbucks density and a homegrown specialty coffee identity, so the new cafe competes on two fronts at once.

Sources

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City of Chicago Data Portal Secret Chicago Jason Obeirne Colectivo Coffee Ribbon Leads GutCheck Chicago What Now Chicago City of Chicago Data Portal Colectivo Coffee