CHICAGO (CBS) — On the ground floor of an unassuming building on busy Western Avenue in West Rogers Park, or West Ridge, regulars and new friends have all found a home away from home.
Urban Morning Cozy Café is located at 7113 N. Western Ave. on the east side of the street—across from the intersection with Fitch Avenue, which dead-ends. Owner Ricky Burns made a big dream come true in the tiny space.
While it’s called the Urban Morning Cozy Café, it’s not just a morning place. Neighbors gather morning, noon, and night for good coffee, good sounds, and good vibes. CBS News Chicago visited on a Saturday night for some smooth soul singing by Manny J.
Owner Burns is at the café six days a week—welcoming regulars and new friends alike.
“When you step into the Cozy Café, come in with a smile,” Burns said. “You’ll leave with a smile, and feel joyful.”
Indeed there are lots of big smiles in the tiny space—which measures a mere 475 square feet. But the coziness is part of the appeal.
It all began with a dream Burns held onto for years.
“I always told my mom I wanted to open up a sports bar—some sort of entertainment,” Burns said.
So after 15 years in big business, Burns decided it was time to go small.
“I just stood in front of the store one day, I saw the sign for rent, and when they opened the door for me, I just fell in love with it,” Burns said, “and the vision came.”
Burns spent months taking the space from barren to beautiful. He has been doing pretty well for two years now despite a nearby competitor—a new Starbucks also opened two years ago at the old Bakers Square site at Western and Touhy avenues half a block north of Urban Morning.
Did the presence of the Starbucks scare Burns?
“A little bit,” he said. “So that’s what I had to come up with my own theme—and different, and what would draw people in—and just be different,” he said.
“Different” for Burns means local products—from coffee to sweets. Even the names are different—when was the last time you had a Boney James muffin, or a Mama Loretta Nutella croissant. The latter was named for Burns’ mom.
“Just gave them a little jazzy name, you know?” Burns said.
The café reflects Burns’ life—growing up in the Uptown neighborhood.
“I was born back in the late 70s and remember going into old restaurants, and everyone knows each other—and felt like home,” Burns said. “So when I designed the place, I wanted to bring that good feeling back.”
And at Urban Morning Cozy Café, that feeling is everywhere you look—from the old-time 1957 Zenith record player that was in Burns’ family to the Hollywood memorabilia on the tables, and the inspirational signs on the wall.
One chalkboard sign reads, “We must come together and stop the hate.”
“That sign there will never go away,” Burns said. “It’s something we need to do.”
Another sign says, “Follow your dreams.”
“That sign there means a lot, because it was a dream that I had,” said Burns.
Burns loves helping customers achieve their dreams—even hosting exhibits by local artists like Denise Grossman.
“When he asked me if I could come, I said, ‘Absolutely,’ because just I love him,” Grossman said. “I love his spirit. I love his attitude. You know, it’s just some people—you just want to be in their aura.”
And that was exactly what Burns had in mind, so many years before he opened the café.
“It makes me feel good every day waking up to do something positive—because my kids see this,” he said. “It makes me feel great.”
The Urban Morning Cozy Café, again, is located at 7113 N. Western Ave. You can enjoy the musical performances on the first Saturday of every month.
