‘Bigger and more beautiful’: Wheaton coffee house owner opens The Kilns downtown

The Kilns takes its name from the home of “The Chronicles of Narnia” author C.S. Lewis.

The new coworking and social house in downtown Wheaton also honors the way Lewis lived and the community he created with other scholars of his time. For someone taking a break from the makeshift home office, stepping into The Kilns is a little like stepping through that famous wardrobe and into Narnia: a breath of fresh air.

In the main room, thoughtful touches abound. White cut roses are nestled in tabletop votive glasses. There’s a bushel of lavender under Lewis-inspired art. Jazzy piano music plays softly in the background. People can work, study or create at a long communal table, plush banquettes near the windows or around a curved countertop with gold bistro lamps.

“The word we keep getting is they're completely in awe of how beautiful and peaceful this space is, how it's just so good for their own productivity,” Renee Pollino says of the response to her latest refuge downtown.

Pollino is the founder of My Half of the Sky, a bustling coffee house with a heart.

“We just kept growing at the coffee shop the last few years, and the only alternative is to open another coffee shop. But I wasn't sure that was the right route for us, because we're already extremely busy, and growing requires a lot of wisdom,” Pollino said.

So she decided to grow “deeper instead of wider.”

A ‘busy coffee shop’

The Kilns and My Half of the Sky are almost next door to each other on Wesley Street. The latter sells coffee, tea and socially responsible gifts such as fair trade jewelry. The nonprofit My Half Kitchen supplies baked goods.

“Our employees come from all different backgrounds. We have survivors of human trafficking, refugees, people who are struggling with addiction and mental health,” Pollino said.

“What we do is we just really create spaces to empower them through work and just remind them they have a purpose, and that no matter what's been done to them, whatever their story is, they are a really important part of our community still.”

Items from the My Half of the Sky food menu can be ordered from a kiosk in The Kilns.

“We purchase that from the nonprofit, just like we would do any other supplier, and then we offer jobs, also as baristas or in management roles or at The Kilns,” Pollino said. “But what we found is we’re a busy coffee shop. We have about 300 to 500 transactions a day, so it’s a little intense.”

And it’s not for everybody.

“We hire in all three spaces, and just really try to hone in on what are the giftings? What are their longings? What do they enjoy doing?”

One of Pollino’s gifts is hospitality.

“My mom's from Puerto Rico. My dad's from Italy. Hospitality is just such a part of Latin and Italian culture,” she said. “We love feasting with friends and having good food and good conversations.”

My Half of the Sky hosts work or study groups in a former house. The Kilns is now an extension of that.

“They've just been encouraged to see the vision get bigger and more beautiful, not just the spaces, but just the heart behind what we're trying to do and inspire people as we walk alongside people in their own vocation,” Pollino said.

‘Meant for beauty’

There are an array of workspaces within The Kilns. Both drop-in day passes or memberships are available. And people can rent hourly conference rooms, “just like they’ve been doing for years next door,” Pollino said.

The main room can also serve as an event venue for baby showers or other celebrations. Pollino plans to add a rooftop garden.

“We'll have two gazebos. We'll have an arch of wisteria,” she said.

The Kilns has adopted as its mascot, Reepicheep, the Narnia mouse. A rear library is another nod to Lewis, who was, as Pollino notes, much more than a children’s author.

Lewis and “The Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien were part of the Inklings. They were “really committed to each other in a community way,” Pollino said. The group would meet in an Oxford pub in the “Rabbit Room.” The Kilns library bears the same name.

They encouraged and “gave each other really hard feedback about their work,” Pollino said.

It’s been her mission to foster community and to create spaces that are a source of encouragement, too.

“We’re meant for beauty,” she said. “This is why we love creation, and we go to the ocean, or we go to the mountains, and we’re just inspired.”