The downtown Evanston Starbucks location,1734 Sherman Ave., a favorite of Northwestern students, Go players and night owls, closed for renovations on May 20. According to a sign on the door, it is expected to reopen June 24.
The shop is one of the six Starbucks locations within Evanston proper (seven if you count the one inside the Target at 2209 W. Howard St.), and one of only two open after 8 p.m. It was also one of the more distinct-looking Starbucks in the city. The design had an almost library/old school drawing room feel, with bookshelves, a late 19th-century map of Evanston, carpets on the walls and raised seating in the back. When the RoundTable peeked inside on the afternoon on May 20, most of those interior design elements were already gone.
Starbucks didn’t respond to the RoundTable’s request for comment by deadline. According to a downtown Evanston Starbucks employee, most employees were reassigned to other city locations during the renovations. He said the employees weren’t told what the renovations would look like.
Originally located at 1726 Sherman Ave., the store moved to its current, larger space in 2014. It used to be open from 5 a.m. to midnight, and while its hours were cut back, as of this May, it was still one of only two Evanston locations open until 9 p.m., sometimes even until 10 p.m. (Northwestern’s Norris Center location is the other). In June 2023, Sherman Avenue Starbucks became the second store in Evanston and 18th store in Illinois as a whole, to unionize.
Evanston Go Club has its Wednesday meetings at the downtown Starbucks from 6 to 9 p.m. Club president Mark Rubenstein told the RoundTable they will simply forgo the Wednesday meetings until renovations are complete, but they will still meet from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays at the nearby Evanston Games & Cafe, 1707 Maple Ave.
Evanstonians looking to get their Starbucks fix can still find their brew at 3330 Central St., 1901 Dempster St. and 519 Main St.
And those who want to get their coffee or tea late still have alternatives. Evanston Pour coffee shop and bar, 528 Dempster St., is open until 9 p.m., and so is Coffee Lab and Roasters by the Noyes L station at 910 Noyes St.
Downtown Evanston Starbucks closed for monthlong renovation is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.