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From Gentrifier to Mainstay: The Story of Pilsen's First Cafe

Jobs

From Gentrifier to Mainstay: The Story of Pilsen's First Cafe

When Eleazar Delgado opened Jumping Bean Café in 1994, his neighbors accused him of helping to usher gentrification into Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.

“We didn’t have tacos. We didn’t have pan dulce,” he says. “A coffee shop was a new idea in the neighborhood. Even the idea of a cappuccino was new to the neighborhood.”

Today, the neighborhood has several coffee shops, and Jumping Bean has become an anchor in the community.

In the video below, Delgado talks about the changes he’s seen take place at his café and the greater community, and the values that he believes set his coffee shop apart from many of its competitors.  

– Jessica Pupovac