Bric-a-Brac Records owners Nick Mayor and Jen Lemasters continue to grind away at opening their new store (2845 N. Milwaukee Ave.) and adjoining horror-themed coffee shop The Brewed (2843 N. Milwaukee Ave.), hopefully opening by the end of the year.
Fans of the music mecca and of the horror genre can enjoy both niches by joining Mayor and Lemasters at Paulie Gee’s (2451 N. Milwaukee Ave.) on Tuesday, Oct. 19 for an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet followed by a screening of the upcoming “Halloween Kills” film at The Logan Theatre (2646 N. Milwaukee Ave.).
Tickets can be purchased from the Bric-a-Brac Records website. Revenue from ticket sales will benefit the Chicago Torture Justice Center.
Mayor and Lemasters share a passion for the horror genre. And with the upcoming coffee shop taking longer than anticipated to get opened, they said, the new “Halloween” movie release seemed like the perfect opportunity to celebrate the season and gather friends and fans alike – something they haven’t been able to do in some time.
Now that it felt safe enough to bring people together, it was only fitting that Mayor and Lemasters teamed up with Paulie Gee’s and The Logan Theatre. A similar event took place when the last “Halloween” movie was released, back in 2018. Given world events over the past few years, it may be the perfect time to bring past events back from the dead in a return to normalcy.
Bric-a-Brac’s Upcoming Coffee Shop
For Mayor and Lemasters, who worked in the restaurant and music industries, respectively, to support themselves and Bric-a-Brac, the pandemic shutdowns were especially challenging. Without the confidence that these industries would ever truly recover, the couple were left wondering how they could continue supporting themselves.
Doubling down their entrepreneurial efforts on Bric-a-Brac felt right, they said, and with that came the commitment to opening the adjoining coffee shop, an idea that had been percolating for years.
“We always eyed the property across from the old space [3156 W. Diversey Ave.] and thought how convenient it’d be if we had a coffee shop right across the street,” Mayor said. “Of course, Logan isn’t exactly hurting for coffee shops, so it was more for our own convenience than anything.”
While Mayor and Lemasters said they never wanted to leave their old space, their shifting times and priorities forced their hand. Mayor said he hopes the feeling of community that made the original space such a neighborhood icon follows them to their new home.
The couple’s love of classic horror movies and desire for a convenient coffee shop were the biggest driving factors behind opening The Brewed. However, a seemingly meaningless, offhanded comment was what sealed the deal for Mayor.
“I was wearing a shirt of the classic horror film ‘The Brood’ by David Cronenberg when chatting with a friend, and we sort of jokingly came to the idea of calling a coffee shop The Brewed,” Mayor said. “The more I thought about it, the more I loved it.”
Eat Pizza, Watch ‘Halloween’
While the couple wait for final inspections to finish and renovations to begin, the Logan Square community can join them in the Halloween spirit alongside neighborhood stalwarts Paulie Gee’s and The Logan Theatre on Oct. 19.
Tickets for the event are $30 and automatically enter you into a raffle for fun horror-themed prizes, including an autographed John Carpenter soundtrack record. Tickets also include the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet and Logan Theatre screening.
Featured image: The Brewed Coffee.
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