<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0fDqvj_0wBDzK2600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0fDqvj_0wBDzK2600" width="1200" height="705" ><figcaption>Photos of the staff, aka the coven, at Loaves &amp; Witches Credit: Loaves &amp; Witches</figcaption></figure>For anyone who wishes that spooky season could last year-round, just head to Edgewater, where Loaves &amp; Witches is open late. The cafe serves up magical pastries and coffee alongside weekly tarot readings in a whimsigothic atmosphere. There, co-owners Julia Goodmann (she/they) and Lisa Harriman (she/they) welcome all uncanny Chicagoans with open arms: curious witches, lactose-intolerant vegans, sober night owls, the LGBTQ+ community, and beyond.“We don’t want to just talk about being a ‘come as you are’ space, but put that fully into action,” Harriman says. “We want not only our customers, but our staff, our little coven, to be fully themselves. This is a safe space to just absolutely exemplify who you are inside and out.”When entering Loaves &amp; Witches, it’s hard not to be hypnotized by the floating candle lights, jewel-toned couches, tables topped with tarot decks, and black walls decorated with tattoo flash pages and ethereal prints. Harriman and Goodmann both have personal spiritual practices: Harriman refers to herself as “an astro rock witch,” while Goodmann embraces earth reverence. Their spiritual practices bleed over into the way they run the cafe.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1QlLVR_0wBDzK2600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1QlLVR_0wBDzK2600" width="768" height="1024" ><figcaption>Cafe co-owners Lisa Harriman (L) and Julia Goodmann Credit: Loaves &amp; Witches</figcaption></figure>“Over the years, we’ve gotten together to sort of celebrate different holidays and have spiritual knowledge gatherings, and we would bake things and bring things together. That definitely is woven into the fabric of the cafe,” Harriman says. “Baking and creating food and nurturing and nourishing community is so much a part of our individual practices too, that this just folds right in.”The two friends are undoubtedly also kitchen witches. Harriman started by baking unconventional treats for friends like Goodmann, who is vegan. Even the mostgluten-free and vegan treat–averse people find themselves enchanted by the Hexe Your Ex Coffee Cake and pumpkin-topped Cheezecake, which wash down well with potions like the cinnamon-molasses-tinged Coven Cold Brew.“We get to be inclusive to a lot of different communities who don’t otherwise get to go to a coffee shop and enjoy a pastry,” Goodmann says. “So many people have celiac and Crohn’s and lactose intolerance, that they can’t just sit down and enjoy a cheesecake or enjoy a muffin. Here it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, baby doll, we got ten different options for you.’” <blockquote>“This is a safe space to just absolutely exemplify who you are inside and out.”</blockquote>Inclusivity is key for Harriman and Goodmann, who refer to themselves as sober addicts. They solidified their friendship and love of baking amongst a supportive queer sober community. Their main goal is to offer a low-key nighttime space for sober Chicagoans to spend time with friends, go on dates, or see what nightlife looks like outside the bar or club scene. “We know a very vast queer sober community that has really been craving a space to go, to not have the pressures of alcohol or any other substances around, but be able to be completely comfortable, knowing that it’s not even an option,” Goodmann says. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0LdrfS_0wBDzK2600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0LdrfS_0wBDzK2600" width="768" height="1024" ><figcaption>The interior of Loaves &amp; Witches</figcaption></figure>Like all good witches, Goodmann and Harriman care deeply about protecting the energy of the space and their staff, who they refer to as their coven. Members of the coven get to contribute offerings to a community altar that sits behind the scenes, safe from customers’ eyes. Goodmann and Harriman do weekly energetic cleanses of the space and tarot decks to ensure the cafe stays safe for anyone who enters. They are also passionate about paying their coven living wages. “I used to manage a corporate coffee place for years and absolutely loved my job, but was not making a living wage,” Goodmann says. “I believe that you should be able to make a living doing whatever it is that you’d like to do. If that is baking, being a barista, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to pay rent in our opinion, especially in the city, where coffee shops are a high commodity, and people want them and use them as a third space.”Loaves &amp; Witches 6034 N. BroadwayTue–Thu 6:30 AM–6 PM, Fri 6:30 AM–10 PM, Sat 7 AM–10 PM, Sun 7 AM–4 PM, closed Mon630-338-5634Loaves &amp; Witches, which opened in late June of this year, is embracing their first spooky season by cohosting a Halloween Bash. The party starts at fellow LGBTQ+-owned business Rad Pop! Vintage Emporium, on October 26 from 2-6 PM, then moves to Loaves &amp; Witches for the nighttime festivities from 6-10 PM. It’s just one of many programs they want to craft for the witchy, queer, sober community.“There’s going to be costume contests. There’s pumpkin-gut wrestling, karaoke—we’re just excited for this little party,” Harriman says. “Having a growing community and having more service, more outreach, more opportunities for people to have a safe space and inclusive space [is the goal]. The fun and tangible side is trivia night, bingo, open mike, doing readings—things like that will be available here.”Both owners feel largely embraced by the community. On Tarot Tuesdays, hosted by local practitioners like Pharaoh &amp; Tarot and Black Fairy Mystic, tables are constantly occupied during their pay-what-you-can sessions. The duo is excited to introduce their first trivia night on October 25 and a Witches Clinic on November 8, and they’re excited to see what else they can cook up for the community in the coming years. “The most heartwarming thing is how many times a day we have neighbors come up to us in the cafe and say, ‘Thank you. We needed this space,’” Goodmann says. “Making it homey, warm, [and] welcoming is something Edgewater has been craving. This is our community, and that’s how we’re going to treat everyone here.”</div></body>

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Visit the kitchen witches at Loaves & Witches

For anyone who wishes that spooky season could last year-round, just head to Edgewater, where Loaves & Witches is open late. The cafe serves up magical pastries and coffee alongside weekly tarot readings in a whimsigothic atmosphere. There, co-owners Julia Goodmann (she/they) and Lisa Harriman (she/they) welcome all uncanny Chicagoans with open arms: curious witches, lactose-intolerant vegans, sober night owls, the LGBTQ+ community, and beyond.