CHICAGO — Tony & Millie's Italian Ice Bar, 6709 N. Olmsted Ave., will start brewing cups of fresh-ground coffee from its Edison Park storefront this week, its owner said.
Six months after opening the non-profit sweet shop — previously a summertime-only pop-up — as a permanent business, owner John Geslicki decided to expand his operation in the hopes of attracting more customers, he said.
"There's a lot of money in coffee around here, with Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts like 100 feet away from each other," Geslicki said. "So if people want to come here [to Tony & Millie's], that money will go right back into the community, instead of somebody's pockets."
The shop will serve Uncle Eddie's Coffee, whose custom-roasted beans have so far only been sold at nearby farmers markets, Geslicki said. Grounds and whole beans will also be sold by the bag at Tony & Millie's.
Until the end of September, the store will donate all proceeds from its coffee and Italian ice sales to special education classes at Taft High School, 6530 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., and surrounding elementary schools, Geslicki said.
Geslicki, a retired firefighter, has thus far donated all the profits from his business to charities including Shriners Hospital for Children and the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, he said.
