ENGLEWOOD — After a year in Englewood, the neighborhood's first Starbucks has become the spot to be, customers said — and on Wednesday some of those sipping coffee alongside residents were Chicago police officers.
“I’m always here,” said Me’Lisa Thimot, 29, an Englewood resident. “I see people I know. It’s a community hub. It’s a gathering spot.”
Company officials pledged to truly engage with the community before the coffee shop's opening. That commitment still holds true a year later, officials said.
To that end, the store hosted "Coffee with a Cop" Wednesday, giving customers an opportunity to interact with law enforcement in an informal setting.
Starbucks hosted its "Coffee with a Cop" event Wednesday. [Chicago Event Photography]
“It’s just about getting the conversation going around what’s happening in the neighborhood and how we can have a partnership with the cops,” Starbucks District Manager Akeisha Walker said.
“They’ve been getting bad reputation the past few years, so we’re really just trying to open that dialogue on how we can be better neighbors and help the police police our communities.”
The first event was held a month after the store opened, but Walker said Englewood District police officers come in all the time and are very friendly and approachable.
“This is a safe haven. It’s a place where people can meet, have a cup of coffee, host book clubs,” she said. “It’s a place to gather outside of their homes.”
Thimot said she liked the event and appreciated the accessibility. The police officers she met shared their favorite coffee flavors, which helped “humanize” them, she said. The event also gave her and her sister, Jelisa Liggins, the chance to discuss community and police relations in Englewood.
Thimot said it was a good conversation.
“I like the concept [of the event], and I think it’s a great idea,” she said. “Police don’t necessarily have a good reputation because we keep hearing about them killing people. I think with events like this we’ll bridge that gap. We should make this a national thing.”
Liggins agreed.
“I’m happy I had the day off and was able to come because this is something the community needs,” she said. “Nobody wants to be afraid of the cops.”
She said she’s excited about the work Starbucks is doing in Englewood. Initially she was hesitant to see Englewood Square open because she doubted businesses like Starbucks and Whole Foods would hire from the community.
“I thought it was a bad idea at first, but I’ve seen the growth, and I’m proud to be from Englewood,” Liggins said.
Jerome Macon has been working as a barista since the store opened. He said he had been looking for a job for nearly two months when he saw a hiring event posting one day on his way home.
“I love my job and my store,” he said. “It’s a loving community spot. It was a good idea to bring Starbucks here.”
The company has been working with Teamwork Englewood since the beginning.
The Starbucks Youth Opportunity program launched a year ago through the organization, along with the Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation and Metropolitan Family services.
Teamwork Englewood’s executive director, Perry Gunn, said the goal was to train young people ages 16-24.
“The focus was on customer service training,” he said. “With a lot of retail coming to the area, we wanted to get them the skills that would get them hired pretty quickly in retail.”
The training took place at Starbucks twice a week. They started the first program with 90 participants. Of those, 70 completed it, and 40 have gotten jobs, including some at Starbucks. Gunn said Team Englewood wants to continue expanding the training program.
