New coffee shop coming to Palatine Metra station

After eyeing the spot for years, Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters will open in the former Starbucks location at the Palatine Metra station.

"(Palatine) is such a fun town, and it's vibrant and has such a really active Metra station in the downtown," Conscious Cup owner and operator Michael Shipley said. "(The space) is really uniquely positioned that way, and you don't get that type of patio space usually."

Shipley hopes to open the coffee shop - the fifth location for the suburban family-owned business - in September.

Starbucks, whose lease with the village ended June 30, closed in January after being there since 2001. The village received several inquiries about the space from business owners, but Conscious Cup was the only one to submit a formal response to the request for proposals, Deputy Village Manager Mike Jacobs said.

"The village is excited to have found an experienced and successful operator," he said.

Conscious Cup is excited as well, Shipley said. "We hoped they would accept it and we were excited when they did," he said. "They have been great to work with so far."

The village's lease with Conscious Cup started July 1 with $1,150 monthly rent for the first three years, including a share of the common area maintenance costs, with increases to $1,550 monthly in the fourth and fifth year, Jacobs said. Starbucks had a $1,365 monthly lease.

Conscious Cup has locations in Libertyville, Barrington, Cary and Crystal Lake.

"We are near a Metra in our Cary location, and it seems like people are getting back on the train," Shipley said. "We're hopeful. If we can get to 50% ridership in the next year, then that will be OK. And I think that's conservative."

The Palatine location attracts a variety of customers in addition to Metra riders, he added.

Conscious Cup buys from socially and environmentally sustainable producers around the world, and freshly roasts its coffee in Crystal Lake.

The company was started in 2006 by the Shipley family, including Michael, his brother Jason, and their parents Jack and Roseanna. Shipley said his brother now works as executive at Camping World - the decision to move on was amicable, he said - and his parents are still involved in the daily business.

The Palatine shop will offer a menu of hot and cold coffee drinks plus teas, Italian sodas and more. There will be fresh baked goods from local providers, including Spunky Dunkers Donuts in Palatine; the food menu is still being worked out but likely will be limited, Shipley said.

The store will undergo a full remodel according to Conscious Cup's philosophy of giving each location its own color and character, he said. The only question is how long it will take for materials to arrive due to COVID-19 related shipment delays, he said.

So will customers see Shipley in Palatine? "They will see me, especially in the beginning. Definitely," he said.

Conscious Cup loves to be in downtown locations, Shipley said. "We feel it's really a big part of what makes us unique ... being in a space where we're able to visit with the families and the people who work in town."