New Oswego business sells coffee, treats, artisan crafts

Craving a fresh cup of coffee, a grilled donut and an artisan craft?

You can get all three at The Makers Cafe and Markets in Oswego.

The Makers Cafe and Markets recently opened at 1067 Station Drive in the Oswego Junction shopping center in Oswego. The business is a collaboration between Hailey Stark, owner of StarkieProduction, Josh Sommerville, owner of Fireside Treats and Sierra Moore, owner of Roots Coffee Stand.

The three of them co-own the business. A grand opening and ribbon cutting event with the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce took place May 9.

“We kind of all ran our businesses out of our homes and we did a lot of markets and craft shows,” said Stark, who is in charge of the retail side of the store. “We came together through hosting markets. We host The Makers Markets that take place in Town Square in Yorkville. That’s kind of how this all came about.”

They started hosting The Makers Markets last year.

“We call it The Makers Markets because we try to bring everybody that is a maker of their own business into that kind of space,” Stark said. “Essentially the goal is to fill the park with as many businesses as we can to give everybody kind of the same leverage.”

Stark and Sommerville first met each other as students at Plano High School.

Sommerville has run Fireside Treats since August 2021. He prepares and sells such treats as grilled donuts and grilled cinnamon rolls. The most popular treat he sells is the grilled s’mores donut.

“It is the first one we started with and since then, it has been the top seller out of everything,” he said.

The treats go well with the fresh coffee that Moore sells through her Roots Coffee Stand.

“It’s made with love,” Moore said, in talking about what makes her coffee stand out.

The name is a reference to espresso beans and how they grow.

“Espresso beans actually grow out of a plant,” she said. “The same with coffee beans, they grow from a plant. Therefore there’s roots in order for that to become a plant.”

Roots Coffee Stand offers a variety of different coffee flavors and also sells other products like lemon shake-ups and boba tea.

“French toast iced coffee is my absolute favorite,” Moore said. “It’s so sweet compared to some of the other flavors.”

“Essentially the goal is to fill the park with as many businesses as we can to give everybody kind of the same leverage.”

—   Hailey Stark, owner of StarkieProduction

Moore and Sommerville are engaged and they try their recipes out on each other first.

“He actually likes coffee now because of me,” Moore said.

Stark, who sells crystals and 3D prints through her business StarkieProduction, said the idea was to bring the three businesses together to promote not only their businesses but other businesses as well.

Items from local vendors are for sale at the business. One of the vendors is Yorkville-based Watgen Warrior Family Farm.

Watgen Warrior Family Farm sells a variety of items, including goat milk soap. Other vendors at the business sell such items as freeze dried candy, cups, keychains and artwork.

“The main goal is to have people come in, get their coffee and donuts and purchase the wares of the local vendors,” Stark said. “I’m kind of in charge of the retail side of things. I help market and promote all these different businesses.”

The Makers Markets will continue its markets this summer at Town Square, located at 301 N. Bridge St. (Route 47) in downtown Yorkville. The first market of the season is the Mother’s Day Makers Market, which will be from noon to 6 p.m. May 11 and 12.

The second annual Midsummer Makers Market will be from noon to 6 p.m. July 13 and 14. The August Makers Market will be from noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 10 and 11.

Those interested in being a vendor at one of the markets can send an email to themakersmarketsil@gmail.com. More information about The Makers Cafe and Markets is available at https://linktr.ee/themakerscafe or at its Facebook page.