Velvet Robot Coffee Lab plans to close its Roscoe location next month

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROSCOE — Velvet Robot Coffee Lab announced on Thursday that it would be closing its location in the village next month.

The coffee shop at 10514 Main St. in Roscoe will close on Sunday, Sept. 7 after a little more than a year in business. Velvet Robot will continue to operate from its 3,000-square-foot Rockford shop at 1292 S. Alpine Road.

“We have loved being your neighborhood coffee shop and will miss y’all,” Velvet Robot posted on its Facebook and Instagram pages. “If you’re ever in Rockford please come and see us!”

Velvet Robot opened in May 2024 in Roscoe after several years of operating in Rockford.

Owner Justin Carner said that while the location had thousands of vehicles pass in front every day, it lacked the kind of foot traffic needed for the business. Anticipated improvements to the parking lot and road were also slower than expected.

“At some point you just have to throw the white towel in and be like, we’ve given everything we can,” he said. “If we can say that then we can’t be full of regret.”

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While it prepares to close in Roscoe, it is ramping up its presence in Rockford with more special events. It’s held a monthly series of pop-up craft fairs called Craft & Cold Brew, is preparing for a Saturday morning coffee club and other special events such as Taylor Swift trivia in October.

“This really sucks, we’re heartbroken, we want to be a part of this (Roscoe) community, but let’s take this time to refocus and reengage and make sure that we are the Velvet Robot we know we can be and that we want to be,” Carner said.

The coffee shop and creative specialty coffee drink maker had operated as a vendor at Rockford City Market before opening in July 2020 inside the City Market space on Madison Street. That location closed Dec. 16, 2023, as Velvet Robot prepared for its move to Roscoe.

Velvet Robot has operated since Aug. 3, 2021, on Alpine Road, where the space features classic arcade games, table tennis, skateboard deck artwork and other eclectic art.

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