The relocation of a yoga studio within the Oak Park Arts District has added a vegan food option to the area.
Owner Nicole Sopko said Nature Yoga Sanctuary and Cafe, located at 146 Harrison St., opened in late October. Formerly Yoga Trek at 911 S. Lombard Ave., the yoga studio has been a staple within the arts district since 2003.
“I think people are still discovering that we’re there,” Sopko said of the new space.
A sign will go up after work to the building’s exterior is completed. The name change aligns the business with Sopko’s other studio, Nature Yoga Sanctuary in Wicker Park.
The new space, formerly ABC Toon Town daycare, received an overhaul that included updates to plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling and more.
Once she received possession Oct. 1 — several months later than expected, she said — Sopko handled the installation of the yoga room floor, kitchen equipment and cafe counter.
In addition to yoga instruction, the business now also features a cafe with a vegan and nut-free menu. With close to 30 seats, the cafe serves coffee and tea drinks as well as waffles, sandwiches and grain bowls.
“I think people see it as a complementary addition to what’s already being offered in Oak Park,” she said of the menu.
Sandwiches and bowls are $8 and $10; tea and lattes — which can be made with soy, coconut or oat milk — are $3 and $4. The cafe offers delivery through UberEats, Sopko said.
One of the cafe’s menu offerings includes an Upton’s Naturals product: the nature BLT, featuring seitan bacon. Sopko’s boyfriend, Daniel Staackmann, owns the Chicago-based natural food company; she is vice president of the company.
“He and I work together basically all the time,” she said. “It works out really well for us.”
The expanded offerings have allowed a wider group of people to have reason to walk through the doors, Sopko noted, adding it’s nice to see yoga students spending time together in the cafe before or after classes.
“We’re meeting people in the neighborhood that we haven’t met before,” she said. “It’s been really nice to have this outlet this way.”
The yoga space is almost two times the size of that at the previous location, Sopko said. Now that the business is up and running, she’s been happy to turn her attention to furnishings and decor.
“I’m working on plant acquisition,” she said of the yoga room.
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Nature Yoga Sanctuary and Cafe is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit www.natureyoga.com or call 708-660-0868.
Also in the arts district, an ultrasound studio has filled a vacant storefront at the western edge of the district.
Tummy Vision 3D/4D Ultrasound Studio, at 344 Harrison St., opened in early November, said Tiffany Staesche, who owns the business with her husband, Michael.
The business operated out of Oak Brook for about one year; after the couple purchased a home in Chicago, they wanted to relocate the studio. The arts district space — approximately 800 square feet — felt like the right fit, Staesche said.
“We wanted to maintain the customer base we had built out there,” she said.
The studio offers 3D and 4D ultrasounds in a boutique atmosphere, and specializes in early gender determination, Staesche said. The experience is designed to be different from a medical setting, she added, giving parents-to-be and family members time to bond with baby.
During an ultrasound session, a couple can bring up to 15 people along to watch their baby on a 65-inch viewing screen.
“It’s just supposed to feel like the comfort of home,” Staesche said.
The studio also offers a DVD of the session and a mobile app to share ultrasound photos with family; packages range from $59 to $159.
Tummy Vision also sells baby gifts, gender reveal kits and onesies with slogans like “The snuggle is real.”
“We just really enjoy this business,” Staesche said. “Giving families that first picture is amazing.”
Currently, Tummy Vision is open by appointment. For more information, visit www.tummyvision.com or call 1-833-338-8669.
In the redeveloped Harrison + Harvey commercial building, District Kitchen and Tap is progressing with a late winter opening in mind.
Chef-owner Patrick O’Brien, who’s behind the Scratch restaurant group, said he hopes to be open at 222 Harrison St. in February, with a possible grand opening around St. Patrick’s Day.
The space will feature a visible wood-fired oven; a tap room area offering beer, wine, cold-brew coffee, whiskey and margaritas; communal seating with a discount offered if phones are put aside for the entire meal; and space for private parties and open mic nights.
“Right when you get in there, you know we’re food-focused,” O’Brien said of the prominent oven.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.