The Daily Northwestern

For months 1620 Orrington Ave. was just another one of the street’s empty storefronts. But on Thursday, a long line of customers waited for coffee and others sipped drinks at the bar.

Cafe Ambrosia is one of several Evanston businesses that opened this summer. At least one business closed, Aladdin’s Eatery at 622 Davis St., said Jonathan Perman, executive director of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce.

Cafe Ambrosia owner Mike Renollet and general manager Matt Steponik said they came to Evanston because it’s a college town. Renollet owns another coffee shop in Ann Arbor, Mich., and said he likes the “energy” of college students.

Steponik said he likes the intellectual atmosphere a college town facilitates.

“That’s part of what a coffee shop is about, too,” said Steponik, who opened the cafe June 25. “That’s a part that we enjoy.”

Ashlee Humphreys, a second-year Kellogg student, said she’s been coming to Cafe Ambrosia since it opened. She was an NU undergraduate, too, but rarely went to coffee shops.

“Unicorn was a little too snooty for me, Peet’s is too small,” she said. “This place seems kind of modest and inviting, I feel, more so than the other cafes.”

Although it’s close to several other coffee houses downtown, Cafe Ambrosia already appears to be gaining popularity among NU students. Students have approached the cafe to cater milk and cookies, and a few student groups have used the space for fund-raisers, Renollet said.

James Oraha, the owner of Tancun, a tanning salon that opened at 818 Clark St. three weeks ago, said he came to Evanston primarily for the college students. Oraha said he is not worried about competition from other nearby salons because his is newer.

“Our facility has the latest and greatest in the tanning industry,” Oraha said.

Still, he plans to offer several promotions, including one week of unlimited tans for $9.99 and a free first tan for students who show their WildCARDs.

Circles, 628 Church St., is a women’s clothing store that opened last month. Owner Ian Fritz called it a “20 to 70 store” that is not particularly targeted toward NU students. But NU “attracts a kind-of-educated, affluent group of people” to Evanston, and there’s a good range of ages in town, he said. Fritz said he plans to offer a WildCARD discount on parents weekend.

Jamaica Gates, 618 1/2 Church St., opened in late June and is not doing as well, said Morris Clarke, the owner’s son. He said he expects to see more student customers once he starts advertising and as the school year progresses.

“Five percent of them know that we’re here right now,” he said.

Reach Tina Peng at [email protected].