Say hi to homiey, a hybrid coworking space and art gallery

Have you been to homiey? homiey is a cozy coworking cafe located in Humboldt Park, Chicago. We love that the walls are decorated with local artwork and the colorful chairs and tables give it a friendly and creative feeling.

We wanted to learn more about the space so we reached out to Mariah Cobb, the founder at homiey, and spoke to her about the story behind the name, the neighborhood, and the space in general. Here's the scoop!

Can you tell us the story behind the name ‘homiey’?

Our name homiey is a play on homies, like your neighbors and friends, and homey, as in the feeling of being comfy and at home. We combined the two words to convey the atmosphere we wanted to create in our space - basically a comfortable spot to get together. We imagined a place right in the neighborhood where people could come to work, hang out, eat, listen to good music and just enjoy each other’s company. 

What is Humboldt Park like?

Humboldt Park is our home, and we love living just a few blocks from homiey! The neighborhood is named after Humboldt Park itself - a beautiful, over 200 acre park that includes a field house, inland beach, and historic lagoons and boat house. There is no shortage of delicious food options in the neighborhood, with plenty of tasty spots to pop into - including several within blocks of homiey (a few we frequent are La Encantada, Arepa George, and La Palma), as well as our favorite nearby bakery, Roeser’s.

What inspired you to create homiey?

The idea of starting homiey was driven by our desire to create a space for the community to gather. Having lived in the Humboldt Park area for several years, we noticed that there weren’t too many places to gather nearby, without trekking to another neighborhood. The idea of a hybrid coworking/event space/art gallery came about as a collaboration of our interests and skills.

What kinds of events are usually going on at homiey?

There are always events happening at homiey! We rent the space out for private events in the evenings and on the weekends and have hosted a myriad of events - ranging from birthday parties to baby showers, graduation celebrations to bridal showers and wedding receptions to pop-up shops. Groups will often rent out our entire space, or just the back conference room, for meetings or workshops during the week as well. We also occasionally host our own events, like supper clubs (which are free to our members!) and our quarterly art showcase. 

Lastly, can you tell us a little about the art currently being exhibited in the space?

Since opening just about a year ago, we have held quarterly art shows at homiey. We love showcasing local artists from Chicago and providing an opportunity for the community to view their work. It also gives our members in for coworking new scenery to enjoy while working. Our Fall Showcase is coming up on October 26th!

Thank you Mariah! Drop by homiey anytime and check in via Croissant to cowork. Or perhaps stop by for an event such as Fall Showcase on October 26th, or their birthday coworking day and happy hour on October 12th.