Tala is Coming to Winnetka
This iconic corner building at the intersection of Winnetka Avenue and Green Bay Road will soon be a Tala cafe, and we couldn’t be more excited. Although a very prominent and noticeable plot in the Indian Hills district, this building has been an out-of-place eyesore for many years, as the Village of Winnetka searched for the perfect addition to this neighborhood. We are excited to be breathing new life into this old building and opening our doors to become a hub for connection, community, and, of course, great coffee!
How did this all start?
A friend of ours drew our attention to this interesting property, which initially seemed like a long-shot idea. The building needed a lot of work, but the whole thing was so intriguing that we had to pursue the possibility. This building was originally a Texaco service station built in the 60s, and although it has served other purposes, it has had an almost entirely auto-oriented history, in spite of its picture-perfect location for communal gathering. It seemed like we could really add something needed to this community, just like we did in Highwood when we opened there in 2018.
The process, however, was far from straightforward. We first toured the building in March 2021 and submitted a proposal a few weeks later to the Village of Winnetka, amidst a handful of other candidates. In October 2021, we presented to the council against two other proposals and were chosen as their preferred concept a few months later. At that point—almost two years ago—we began determining the details of this joint restoration project with the village which has included an extensive restoration of the building and a total transformation of the site including an expansive patio area and rehabbed parking lot.
What has it been like renovating a building in major disrepair?
When we first started exploring this building there were a lot of comments to the tune of, what do you see in this place? Even in our presentations to the village, it was evident that we liked their building a lot more than they did. As a building, it is so inspirational (more on the design inspiration and specifics later, I promise!), and we held very tightly to the finished product we knew was possible.
Once we actually got the keys and could begin build-out, the reality of the project hit home even harder. Everything about it was daunting in the beginning. For the first time for me, it became hard to see past the decades of dust, rust, and miscellaneous build-up from years of service station use, and subsequent years of disuse.
Having the full floor plan and design in mind from the beginning was huge for our morale as we worked on this project, especially during setbacks—like realizing the whole floor would need to be excavated and re-poured. Now, as we approach our final stages of build-out, it is wild to think of how far we’ve come.
What was the hardest part of the build-out?
I don’t think anything will top the painstaking demo we did for the first few months. We removed literally everything in and on the building all the way down to the studs ourselves.
The whole interior and exterior of the building was covered with these really cool original gloss-white ceramic panels. We found so much inspiration in the design of these panels, and were hoping to keep as many as we could to reuse for the new space. We knew that a demo crew would damage the panels indiscriminately, so we opted to do it all as carefully as we could on our own. This proved much harder than we thought.
The panels are constructed as an interlocking system with gaskets between each panel and overlapping ridges secured to the studs with flathead screws. The whole system (except the use of flatheads) was genius until it came to taking it apart. Everything fit together so perfectly and couldn’t be taken down out of order because of the interlocking mechanisms. Each screw not utterly rusted to kingdom come was a welcome surprise.
Perhaps the worst part was doing the ceiling, which was also covered entirely in the same panels. Not only did all the same problems plague the ceiling panels, but we had the additional element of debris raining down on us as we worked.
All-in-all, this building has been a labor of love, to say the least.
Aren’t you just a coffee shop…?
Whenever I have explained this project to someone their response has been something to the tune of, Aren’t you guys just a coffee shop? Why are you redeveloping a whole building? That’s a great question. The answer is basically because we’re crazy but also because this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The location was hard to beat—a block from New Tier, a short walk from a vibrant neighborhood, a stone’s throw from the train station, and at the intersection of two busy streets. Although a huge undertaking, there was something so inspiring about the building. Doing this ourselves means we’ve been able to reuse as much as possible, and make it exactly what we want it to be without having a developer as the middleman. The Village of Winnetka has worked alongside us to create a joint vision for this property that we’re confident will be a celebrated addition to the community.
When are you opening?
This is the question we get more than any other, and the answer is: soon! There is still a lot that could go wrong at this point in the process, so we can’t say a day for sure, but we’re thinking weeks, not months. So get ready to enjoy a brand new Tala location very soon!
Are you hiring?
Yes! We are looking for full-time and part-time positions to work at our newest cafe! No coffee experience is required, but prior work experience is generally needed. You can apply here if you’re interested in joining the team.
Joanna Tong
Joanna is one of the owners here at Tala, heading up Operations and Strategy. Born and raised in Minnesota, she moved to Illinois in 2014 with no intention of staying long-term until the idea of Tala came to light. When not in the office or the cafe, you can find her in a forest preserve enjoying the outdoors or at home hanging out with her cat.