Rivers & Roads Cafe, the national park-themed coffee shop that has become a fixture near Loyola University Chicago's Lake Shore Campus, is expanding into the storefront next door at 1257 W. Devon Ave. The new space, called Little Wild, will house a bookstore, an artist market and 20 to 30 additional seats, with a standalone soft-serve shop named Firefly planned to follow in spring.
Co-owner Janine Waszkowski announced the Little Wild name on social media, and told the Loyola Phoenix that heavy customer volume from Loyola students and neighborhood residents had the original cafe constantly running out of seating, which pushed the owners to lease the adjacent storefront once it became available. That original location, which opened in 2021 at 1259 W. Devon Ave., serves specialty lattes, espresso drinks, breakfast sandwiches and pastries, according to WhatNow. The neighboring business recently closed.
What's Moving Into the New Storefront
The market concept will sell books, pottery art and stationery items alongside pre-packaged goods made at the cafe next door, WhatNow reports. The additional seating is meant to relieve the overflow that has become a regular occurrence at the original cafe. Per owner Mike Waszkowski, the market is expected to open in early-to-mid November, with the Firefly soft-serve shop — offering mostly soft-serve options — following in spring. Exact products for either new space have not yet been released by the business.
The cafe's owners said the neighborhood needed more places to hang out, browse and spend a little time, a sentiment that echoes Rivers & Roads' broader aim of functioning as a community third space beyond home and work, as the Loyola Phoenix's report on the expansion describes it. That mission has already shown up in the original cafe's after-hours programming, including an evening Fiber Crafts Night for local hand-crafters and neighbors, according to the Edgewater Observer.
A Spot Built on Student Foot Traffic
The cafe sits a few blocks west of Loyola's Lake Shore Campus, according to the Loyola Phoenix. WhatNow notes the new storefront sits near the intersection with North Lakewood Avenue, close to Nori Sushi at Edgewater and across the street from Ezankaya Thai restaurant, with the Loyola and Granville CTA stations about equally distant.
A Changing Devon Avenue
The Devon Avenue corridor is also undergoing broader commercial change, including a proposed 27-unit tower down the street. Separately, Alderman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth has pushed for transit-oriented density along the nearby Broadway corridor. The expansion of Rivers & Roads into Little Wild and, eventually, Firefly fits that pattern of independent Far North Side businesses diversifying into adjacent storefronts rather than relocating entirely.
