Evanston Now
The pandemic hasn t killed interest in retail in Evanston, after all.
The window of the soon to open bakery on Dempster.
You’ll soon be able to get a cup of great coffee in a new shop on Dempster Street. The beans are up from Congregation Coffee in New Orleans, the same roaster that provides the beverage to famous Crescent City restaurants like Brennan’s.
But please, don’t call the new Dempster Street business, Comfort Desserts Reimagined, a coffee shop.
“We are not a coffee shop,” says owner Harrith Razaa. “We are a bakery that also has coffee.”
Schmear Campaign: How Bagel Art has fared during the pandemic
Even through a cloth mask, the comforting aroma of baked goods and freshly ground coffee will greet you when you open the door to Bagel Art Cafe.
Co-owners Vince and Whitney Doyle bought the cafe on Dempster St. in 2014 and are its third owners since the cafe’s founding in 1996. Throughout the pandemic, Vince said the couple has relied on both the local community and their 10-person staff for support.
“We’ve been really grateful for the support of our community and our team,” Vince Doyle said.
According to Whitney Doyle, one of the biggest impacts the pandemic has had on Bagel Art is the loss of catering gigs, which had previously brought consistent money into the cafe. The lack of student presence in the city has also been hard on the business, but she said she is looking forward to having a regular student presence in the shop again.