You might have seen them at the Skokie Farmer’s Market or at a pop-up at Sketchbook Brewery, but wherever you’ve seen them, Soul Good Coffee is sure to add a smile to your day. On Sept. 6, Soul Good Coffee opened its doors at 4901 Main St. in Skokie. 

When walking into the space, you’re immediately greeted by a warm staff of baristas and a nice ambience. The layout of the coffee shop urges people to sit with others and to enjoy whatever they happen to be sipping on. Owner Kristina Thomas commented on how the coffeeshop came to be.

“I’ve been working on Soul Good since 2018. Dreaming of it, obviously, far longer than that…The idea of Soul Good was to bring something unique and different to Skokie when I moved here 14 years ago from the city,” Thomas said. 

Growing up in a household surrounded by coffee–Thomas’s great-grandfather being a coffee grower in Puerto Rico–coffee was a big part of her gatherings and conversations. She felt that there was something missing within the Skokie community, and found herself always going back to the city to her local coffee shop. 

“We didn’t have a lot of small businesses owned by people here that live in Skokie. So I was really trying to create this space that I crave to go,” Thomas said.

Thomas created Soul Good with the intention of creating a space that gives back to the community. She plans to partner with a new nonprofit every quarter and figure out ways that the community can support that organization.

 “It wasn’t just like we’re serving coffee, we’re serving the community, we’re doing something good for the soul,” Thomas said.

Senior Orli Eisenberg expressed her interest in visiting the coffee shop. 

“I’m drawn to Soul Good because they have a food truck at the farmers’ markets, and I’ve been there a few times. It’s really good. When I saw that they had a store, I really wanted to go,” Eisenberg said. 

Senior Sarah Van Hees was able to visit the coffeeshop when it opened. She enjoyed the natural lighting of the store and had a latte.

 “I would definitely go back! I thought it had great vibes and felt very welcoming overall!”

When there, the NWN tried two of the coffeeshop’s specialty drinks: a Sunny Breezy as a matcha and a Soul Sunny. Both of these drinks were delicious. The matcha presented with a nice color and had a wonderful flavor, and the Soul Sunny hit the spot we didn’t know existed. 

Like Van Hees said, we’ll definitely be going back as we give it 4.5 out of 5! So if you find yourself in the neighborhood, check out Soul Good Coffee’s brand new space!