It’s never easy saying goodbye to a business.

Noble Tree was more than just a great cup of coffee and a slice of pie for its laptop-bound collegiate patrons. And it was more than just a remarkably restored three-story brownstone located in the heart of Lincoln Park’s arterial Clark Street.

It’s where people came to meet—A coffeeshop housing the perfect blend of conversation-friendly round tables (for discussion or board games) and study nooks for deep concentration. For owner Phil Tadros, it was the charming space that kept the coffeeshop open, even when it stopped being financially feasible. He describes it as a unique, cozy space conducive of productivity and collaboration.

Aside from being where Phil met Darren Marshall, the co-founder and creative director of Doejo, it’s where local bakeries, coffee roasters and social clubs came together (from a book club to an entrepreneur networking club) all under one roof. Noble Tree even hosted a picturesque wedding reception in 2010, because, as the couple says, it had been a common setting for their relationship.

But the costs of building a fire escape from the top floor and plumbing issues in the basement left Phil with a difficult decision to make at the same time the lease was ending in September 2011.

But as Noble Tree’s doors close, new opportunities in coffee roasting open up for Doejo. This week we announced the forthcoming Bow & Truss and P.O.C. as our expansion in the coffee realm and an exciting partnership with Technori’s Seth Kravitz.

At our former office at 2934 N. Broadway, we’ll be opening the first Bow & Truss roasting house, where customers can watch the roasting of their beans and learn how to make world class coffee at home. It’ll be more of a grab-in-go walk-in shop that’s all about an educational experience. The Bow & Truss brand will also not be limited to coffee roasting either.

We are currently shopping retail properties around the city—in heavily trafficked areas—for the future P.O.C. shops. At P.O.C., customers will not only be able to get great cups of coffee and bags of freshly ground beans, but a lesson on how to brew the perfect pour-over coffee cup at home. It’ll be all about enjoying a quality brewing experience. These grab-and-go cafes will also have a range of coffee products based at varied price ranges. A forthcoming online shop will also offer subscription-based options, so customers can have fresh coffee sent to their home. 

Opportunities in roasting are boundless at Doejo, so as always, stay tuned as we launch an exciting future—while pouring a cup of espresso down Clark Street for our past.