Velvet Robot to close downtown Rockford shop, open new location in Roscoe

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app

ROCKFORD — Velvet Robot Coffee Lab will close its downtown shop and open a new location in the village of Roscoe.

The locally owned maker of creative specialty coffee drinks with a full food menu will close its downtown location, 116 N. Madison St., on Dec. 16 after more than three years in business. It will continue to run its other Rockford location, a 3,000-square-foot shop at 1292 S. Alpine Road.

More business: Growing Rockford machine shop to open in new building that nearly triples its size

The company is also working to open a new space at 10514 N. Main St. in Roscoe. Velvet Robot founder Justin Carner told the Rock River Current he hopes to open in Roscoe by January.

He said deciding to close the downtown shop is a bittersweet moment.

“We don’t say this without some sadness,” Carner said in a video message to followers on Instagram. “The love that you guys have shown us has been immense.”

He said he hopes that leaving the space at the Indoor Rockford City Market will provide opportunity for another local entrepreneur to chase their dream.

“We feel like we’re opening our space for another entrepreneur, another somebody from the area to jump into a brick-and-mortar and make this their dream shop,” he said.

The downtown location opened in July 2020 after a successful local debut as a vendor at Rockford City Market.

Its second location opened on Aug. 3, 2021, and features a full arcade and ping-pong table, as well as the eclectic and artistic vibe you find downtown.

More business: Lyfe Dispensary in Rockford opens inside one of state’s largest cannabis spaces

Carner, who is also a teacher at Belvidere North High School, said foot traffic in downtown has been waning.

“I don’t know if that’s a big sign of Rockford, the mass economy or what’s happening, but something is happening where we’re not seeing people as much,” he said in an interview Friday night at the downtown shop after making the announcement on Instagram.

Also, the downtown area has three other coffee shops: Wire Cafe, Rockford Roasting Co. and Inzombia Coffee. In Roscoe, he’ll be at an intersection that has roughly 10,000 cars pass through each day, according to Illinois Department of Transportation daily traffic counts.

“I think that’s kind of a coffee dessert that we can serve,” Carner said. “I know there’s a couple good places over there, but they’re definitely underserved.”

More news: New exhibit at Kortman Gallery in downtown Rockford celebrate’s Symbol’s iconic color

On Instagram, fans of the coffee shop who live in Roscoe celebrated the new location. Carner said he’s had customers tell him they drove to downtown from that area.

“That’s never lost on me: They drive by a Starbucks, they drive by a Dunkin’ to come here and get a local coffee,” he said. “I think they deserve that in their local community as well.”

He said he hopes the company can continue to expand to new locations in the region in the future.

Carner said the downtown shop’s last day on Dec. 16 will have a bittersweet sendoff party.

“Downtown holds a place in my heart, and it holds a lot of place in a lot of people’s hearts,” he said on Instagram.

“You’ve been loving us since Day 1, and we love you back more than you know.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas