LOGAN SQUARE — Plans to build a Bow Truss outpost in Wicker Park fell through last week, and now the Logan Square location — which had been closed since January due to a high-profile employee walkout — is officially not reopening.
Passion House Coffee Roasters, a Near West Side-based small-batch coffee roastery, is opening its first coffee shop in the former Bow Truss Logan Square, 2631 N. Kedzie Ave.
Starting Friday, Passion House will likely be open from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. every day until the grand opening May 1, when hours will be extended until 7 p.m., said Monika Dixon, who handles public relations for Passion House.
The coffee shop will serve espresso-based drinks, drip coffee and cold brew, as well as an array of pastries, light lunch items, "mocktails" and coffee sno-cones.
"We are honored to be on the same street of incredible talents, like Longman and Eagle, Same Day Cafe and Reno, and just around the corner from Lula Cafe, Fat Rice, Yusho and countless others," Dixon wrote in a prepared statement.
"Our roastery is not very accessible, so we wanted a location that was the total opposite, surrounding ourselves in a neighborhood that appreciates craft and supports small local businesses."
Passion House was founded by Joshua Millman in 2011. Millman chose Logan Square for his first coffee shop because of the neighborhood's "rich history."
"In Logan Square, the strong neighborly connection is evident all around — from active preservation groups to community gardens and a locally-run farmers market. It is a community that embodies the laid back coffee shop culture and facilitates what we call 'relationship coffee,'" the statement read.
During its nearly two-year run, Bow Truss Logan Square served coffee and locally-made pastries in the small shop across from the Logan Square Blue Line station.
When asked about the closure, CEO Phil Tadros blamed the failed deal with business mogul Marcus Lemonis.
"If Marcus didn't disrupt our growth we would've kept it open," he wrote in an email, adding that Passion House is a great fit for the space.
"I love Passion House. Josh and I almost started Bow Truss. I respect his knowledge, hustle and quality and it made sense for him to have a flagship to help build his wholesale business."
He also touted the growth of the independent coffee chain, which is Chicago's biggest.
"Mind you, we are a 4-year-old company that grew to 11 open locations and 6 under construction in just the last 24 months," Tadros wrote.
"We were always scrappy and vulnerable, but what Crain's set us up for and what Marcus knocked us down for, no small business should go up against."
Tadros is referring to an explosive Crain's story that detailed his penchant for leaving a trail of lawsuits, failed businesses and upset investors and vendors in his wake.
Tadros denied the legitimacy of the July report, accusing the reporter of "violating a bunch of journalism standards that even a few supermarket tabloids wouldn't touch" in a self-authored Medium post.
In July, Tadros was arrested on a domestic violence charge that was later dropped when the victim did not appear in court.
Partnerships with Iliana Regan and Jared Leonard on two different, short-lived concepts at 2928 N. Broadway fell apart last year, forcing the closures of Bunny, the microbakery, and The Budlong.
The battle over Budlong Hot Chicken led to another lawsuit, with Tadros accusing Leonard of breaking their operating agreement and claiming Leonard violated a noncompete clause.
In December, Tadros was finalizing a deal to sell a majority stake in Bow Truss to business mogul Marcus Lemonis.
Then, on Jan. 12, employees at all 10 Bow Truss locations, including the Logan Square outpost, didn't come to work over bounced paychecks and the seizing of vendor equipment due to nonpayment. At the time, Tadros called the employee walk-off a "temporary setback," but the Logan Square outpost never reopened.
The deal between Tadros and Lemonis ultimately fell apart, with Tadros suing the business mogul over the dead deal.
Lemonis is the owner of Red Beard Coffee Traders, which is taking over the storefront that was supposed to house the Bow Truss Wicker Park outpost before plans fell apart.
