Nearly every Northwestern student I know has their go-to coffee shop — that perfect place to grab an iced latte, pop in an earbud and hammer out an essay in a few hours flat.

For me, that place was Coffee Lab. Founded in 2010, the cafe served up pourover brews, specialty drinks and a constantly rotating selection of Asian-inspired pastries at its cozy Noyes Street storefront.

Along with its in-house treats, the cafe periodically hosted weekend pop-ups from local restaurants like Samila Thai Fusion Cuisine. It also doubled as an informal art gallery, displaying and selling pieces made by Evanston-based artists.

In July, Coffee Lab announced on Instagram that it would be closed for renovations until October, after which new management and ownership would reopen the location as Josie’s Coffee Shop. But months later, the storefront’s windows are still papered over with its new opening date still uncertain.

I’ll certainly miss my iced ube latte-fueled study sessions at Coffee Lab. But more than that, I’ll miss the friendly faces behind the counter and the sense of community the cafe always offered — and I can only hope Josie’s Coffee Shop will carry that spirit forward, whenever its opening may be.

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X: @siriii_r

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