CHICAGO – For more than two decades, Joseph Robinson has built a career around making sure Chicago is always part of the fit.
Better known as Joe Freshgoods, the West Side native has gone from working retail and throwing parties to collaborating with some of the biggest names in footwear. Now, his latest venture brings clothing, coffee, art, books and community under one roof at 1843 W. Chicago Ave.
Joe Freshgoods comes to new West Town space
The backstory:
The space combines Every Now and Then, Robinson’s retail concept, with Josephine’s, a coffee shop named in honor of his grandmother.
“We’re in Every Now and Then, slash Josephine’s,” Robinson said. “I wanted it to have a neighborhood feel.”
The concept is intentionally difficult to put into a box, much like Robinson himself. The vintage-style sign outside advertises “apparel, coffee, furniture, books,” while inside, clothing racks share space with carefully selected furniture, books, music and artwork.
Robinson said he wanted the shop to feel more like a home than a traditional retail store.
“I wanted this to feel like you’re in my house,” he said, explaining that everything from the furniture and books to the smell and music was selected intentionally. “If people come in and don’t buy nothing, I’m totally okay with that. As long as they got to experience it.”
A coffee shop with a family connection
Josephine’s adds another layer to the concept — and a deeply personal one.
“In addition to that, we have Josephine’s, which is a coffee shop named after my grandmother,” Robinson said.
Robinson said he wanted people to have a place where they could grab coffee or lemonade, work on a laptop, read a book, bring their children or simply spend time without feeling pressure to make a purchase.
The unconventional retail-coffee mashup came despite warnings that opening a brick-and-mortar store in the current retail climate was risky.
“A lot of people kind of told me I was crazy for opening up a store and a cafe,” Robinson said. But he said the response during the first full month exceeded expectations. “I think this is needed in Chicago.”
And coffee may be introducing an entirely new audience to Joe Freshgoods. Robinson said one of the biggest surprises has been customers coming in for drinks who know little or nothing about his fashion brand.
From Subway employee to store owner — across the street
The location also represents a full-circle moment.
Robinson grew up in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood and says one of his earliest jobs was at the Subway directly across the street from his new store.
“And now 20 years later, I have a store across the street from that Subway,” Robinson said.
Even the name Every Now and Then plays off Robinson’s unconventional approach to retail. The original idea, he said, was that customers might only catch the store open “every now and then.” Today, the name also represents a space designed to continually change.
That evolution mirrors Robinson’s own career.
Before Joe Freshgoods became a nationally known name, Robinson worked at Niketown and Chicago streetwear retailer Leaders. He says Chicago has watched him grow through different stages of retail for more than 20 years.
His sneaker résumé now includes collaborations with Converse, Vans, Adidas and New Balance, with New Balance becoming one of his longest-running partnerships.
But Robinson says the success isn’t simply about picking colors for sneakers.
“Storytelling, really,” he said. “A lot of the stuff I did in the past has been inspired by my upbringing in Chicago.”
A childhood prediction proven wrong
Robinson’s career designing shoes carries particular significance because of an experience he remembers from fourth grade.
He said he was drawing Jordans on a piece of paper when a teacher crumpled it up and told him he wasn’t going to make shoes and should consider becoming a firefighter or police officer.
“That stuck out to me forever,” Robinson said. “‘Cause… this is what I do for a living now.”
More than 20 years into his career, Robinson says his focus is increasingly about what he can build beyond himself.
Every Now and Then employs about seven or eight people, while another 12 to 15 work behind the scenes for Joe Freshgoods. Robinson said early employers who took a chance on him helped change the direction of his life, and he hopes his employees gain opportunities from working with him.
He is also looking toward Josephine’s future, saying he hopes to eventually expand beyond coffee and lemonade — potentially developing a restaurant version of the concept.
His next fashion move is mysterious
Robinson is teasing another major collaboration for December. He wouldn’t reveal the brand, only calling it “something classic” from a brand he’s worn for much of his life.
Through all of it, Robinson has resisted the notion that a Chicago creative must leave for New York or Los Angeles to reach a global audience.
“I just wanted to show the world Chicago,” he said. “I could be great in Chicago, but I want the world to see how great Chicago is.”
For the Austin kid who once filled notebooks with ideas and drew sneakers that someone told him he’d never make, the journey has come full circle — right down to the block where he once made sandwiches.
Now, Robinson is serving up something different: coffee, clothes and a distinctly Chicago story — with another chapter waiting to drop.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago’s Tia Ewing.
