Jeff Foster is cultivating common ground even during pandemic with coffee shop, arts initiative

DeKALB – Walking into Common Grounds, 131 E. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, the smell of roasted coffee beans fills the air, international music plays in the background and the coffee shop’s owner, Jeff Foster, will look up from whatever task he’s doing to greet you as soon you walk in.

“I’ve always wanted the place to be more than a bookstore or coffee shop,” Foster said. “I wanted it to be a community gathering place like ‘Cheers,’ where everybody knows your name and you’re treated in a special way.”

Common Grounds sells Barb City Roasters’ coffee, which is estate grown, chosen from the top 1% quality beans in the world, single-origin and roasted in micro-batches. Common Grounds also sells tea and chocolate, which also are 100% organic and fair-trade sourced, fruit smoothies and baked goods.

All craft drinks can be served hot or cold, iced or blended. Adjustments to the menu can be made, and all drinks have nondairy options, including almond coconut and oat milks.

Davieon Davis-McBride of DeKalb visits Common Grounds once or twice a week for a Mean Green smoothie. He said that Common Grounds has a good vibe and that its atmosphere is “relaxed, like you’re sitting at home.”

“I always get the same thing on the menu because it tastes very good and is energizing,” he said. “I love that the ingredients are fresh and how the smoothie is blended. I have a friend that comes here all the time, and she loves the tea.”

Ileana Brooks of DeKalb also visits Common Grounds often, usually ordering a pour over roast.

“I love the coffee and the service,” she said. “You can tell that the coffee is freshly ground. It always tastes great and is always fresh.”

Common Grounds is open seven days a week: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

In addition to selling drinks and baked goods, Common Grounds sells books and games and locally handcrafted items, including jewelry, candles, artwork and crayons.

Common Grounds partners with the Set Free Movement, which seeks to end modern slavery through community-based action. Sales of the coffee shop’s books and games benefit the Methodist Free Church.

“There’s a lot of need in DeKalb and in the community, and as a nonprofit organization, it’s important to care about others, to contribute something to the world and to be an advocate for those in need,” Foster said.

Changes during the pandemic

Although Common Grounds never closed because of the COVID-19 the pandemic, business was heavily impacted and hours were shortened to as little as three hours a day.

Because of Common Grounds’ nonprofit status, and as an affiliate and not a church, the business could not receive grants, Foster said.

Disposable cups had to be bought, because most patrons previously sat inside the coffee shop with their drinks inside glass mugs. Under Illinois Region 1′s Tier 2 mitigations, patrons could sit or dine inside at tables up until Monday, nearly four months after the indoor dining ban was reinstated Oct. 3.

Staff also had to be severely reduced from six in February 2020 to one current worker.

“Things were finally changing so I could be more of an administrator instead of a barista, but then the pandemic hit,” Foster said. "

Foster said that his independent and minority-owned business is an inspiration to others to start their own business.

“When I was a young, black kid, it would have been great to see someone that looks like me owning a business,” Foster said. “My goal is to leave a legacy for others for them to believe in themselves and their dreams. I started from scratch, and I’ve been able to do it. They can, too.”

Made from scratch

Foster grew up on the south side of Chicago and attended the American Academy of Art and Robert Morris College, where he studied graphic art.

Foster was a youth pastor teaching art at a friend’s church in Oswego when the church received a grant to start a nonprofit affiliate. At DeKalb’s Corn Fest that year, Foster sold books and T-shirts at a table as a fundraising effort against human trafficking.

“Soon, we looked for a location in DeKalb, a fixer-upper where the church could help with rent as a housing allowance,” Foster said.

Foster was waiting with a friend for their children to come out of school one day when they started to talk about politics and religion.

“My friend Rich is Jewish, and I’m Christian, and we were talking about difficult topics,” Foster said. “My friend told me he wished there was a place we could all come together to talk the way we did, a place of common ground. So we named the coffee shop before it even existed.”

The location of the nonprofit affiliate was chosen: 150 E. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb. Common Grounds opened as a bookshop and community gathering space in July 2016 – and the coffee and tea came along later.

In July 2018, Common Grounds moved into its current location, 131 E. Lincoln Highway, located across the street from its original location.

Foster is looking for a new location for Common Grounds that allows for additional parking and a drive-up window.

“I’d also love to do more as a community art center, offering a space to hang and display artwork and have live music performances,” Foster said. “There’s the idea of a ‘third space,’ a space that’s not home or work, but where you go to meet others and relax. I would love for Common Grounds to be that place.”

Common Grounds’ motto is “A place where anyone can get inspired.”

“Whether you like coffee or tea or not, we’re more than a coffee shop,” Foster said. “We’re part of the community. We’re different from other coffee shops, because we’re a place where people can just sit and chill, relax and talk. We’re a place you can think creative thoughts and form relationships.”

CG4 Arts Initiative

Another future goal of Common Grounds is for it to be a place where young illustrators, designers, authors and performing artists can visit to get inspired.

Common Grounds will offer a community art center called CG4 Arts, named for the four groups of artists the initiative aims to help. CG4 Arts will offer gallery space an indie bookstore, performance stage and studio and where artists and their and mentors can create and collaborate.

CG4 Arts will be open to all youth, with the goal of cultivating a creative community.

“The program is open to all, but I’d love to help at-risk youth who have grown up without encouragement,” Foster said. “I want to help all kids find their creative potential, even if they weren’t taught to dream or take risks. … My goal is for Common Grounds to be more than coffee, more than books. I want it to always be a place people can come to, sit back and relax. I want it to be a common ground for the community.”

For information about Common Grounds, visit their website, Facebook page or call 815-570-3379.