By Xinyi (Ethel) Jiang
Medill Reports

Kevin and Karen O’Malley, Beverly residents and music lovers, are thrilled to be part of the community on a small business level.

The couple opened B-Sides Coffee + Tea on the South Side of Chicago. The shop, located near the 99th Street Metra depot, is a throwback, decorating its walls with old album covers and spinning music from the sixties, seventies and eighties on a turntable.

The coffee shop caters to a steady stream of commuters, as well as parents picking up their children from the nearby grammar school.

“A coffee shop in the neighborhood gives families opportunities to get out of the house, walk down, and maybe see a neighbor along their way or at the shop,” said Kevin O’Malley.