BEVERLY — Letecia Newbon took it as a sign from above when she saw a vacancy in Beverly's Jesus is Lord Plaza.
Eight months later, Newbon opened A "Lil" Something Hot Cafe. The coffee shop at 1455 W. 103rd St. sells a full array of coffee along with sandwiches, wraps, salads, smoothies and more.
"I have been wanting a coffee shop for nine or 10 years now," Newbon said.
Newbon, a South Deering resident, officially opened her modest cafe Saturday. The hours are 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays.
On Sundays, the cafe is closed as Newbon, 37, attends the House of Rhema Praise and Worship Center in West Pullman.
Newbon comes from a family of six children. And when her mother retired, she took in six more foster children. Newbon followed a similar path. She has four biological children — two adults and two teens. She also has five foster children, ranging in age 6 years to 3 months.
"She is a coffee baby," Newbon said of her youngest child who joined her Tuesday in the coffee shop.
Customers can expect to see members of Newbon's family in the cafe either helping out or grabbing a bite to eat, she said.
Newbon believes her Beverly storefront has potential because of the concentration of both commercial and residential property nearby. Her cafe is also close to the Metra station at 103rd Street and Vincennes Avenue.
She also likes the cozy feel of her cafe. Newbon added that she learned the ropes of the business by spending more than two decades working the fast food industry. She has managed restaurants for McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's.
"I love the feel of it," Newbon said of her cafe with baby blue and brown accents. "And we don't have a lot of these places on the South Side."
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