AVONDALE — Near West Side coffee company Metric Coffee could be setting up shop in Avondale.
Metric Coffee wants to convert the 12,000-square-foot Olde Chicago Antiques warehouse at 3110-12 N. Kedzie Ave. into a cafe, roastery and coffee lab. It would be the second location for the coffee company, headquartered at 2021 W. Fulton St.
With city approval, much of the Avondale warehouse would be transformed into a cafe and roasting facility. The cafe would serve Metric drinks — everything from pour-overs to classic lattes — and casual breakfast and lunch dishes like heirloom grain bowls and brandade croquettes. The parking lot on Kedzie Avenue would be converted into a seasonal outdoor patio.
The warehouse would also be home to a coffee lab for wholesale partners and other people who want to learn about roasting and sourcing and an area for a seasonal culinary program, according to the plans shared by founder Xavier Alexander.
With a 10,000-square-foot space, “… our vision is to recall the grandeur of all-day European cafés mixed with the visual of a full production facility,” the owners wrote in a presentation.
Metric is seeking a zoning change to bring the project to life, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa’s 35th Ward office said in a notice. The site is currently cleared for a community shopping district, and Metric needs a neighborhood commercial district zoning designation, Ramirez-Rosa’s office said.
The Metric crew is also requesting Ramirez-Rosa lift the Kedzie Avenue liquor moratorium from Belmont to Wellington avenues.so they can sell craft beer.
Neighbors will get a chance to weigh in on the proposal at a virtual community meeting, set for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9. To RSVP, fill out an online form.
Alexander launched Metric Coffee with Darko Arandjelovic in 2012. At the time, Alexander was working for Intelligensia Coffee and Arandjelovic had just opened his own coffee shop called Caffe Streets, but the two wanted to launch their own roasting company, according to Voyage Chicago.
In the Voyage Chicago interview, Alexander said he sold his music gear, closed his 401K and took out a “risky” loan to launch Metric Chicago with Arandjelovic. That partnership blossomed into a wholesale, online and brick-and-mortar business on Fulton Street.
Metric had partnerships with several local spots and grocery stores as of 2018, including Lula Café, Avec and Whole Foods. The coffee company has a staff of 25 people and sources coffee from across the world, including Ethiopia to Guatemala.
As Metric eyes Avondale for its growth plans, Olde Chicago Antiques is preparing to say goodbye to the neighborhood.
The husband-and-wife owners of the antique wholesale business bought a home in Wisconsin and are planning to open a new antique store in an old church nearby, Ramirez-Rosa said. The owners didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.
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