In the late 1960s, Kathy Garness stumbled upon a special place that would profoundly affect her life — No Exit coffeehouse, located at the corner of Lunt and Glenwood avenues in Rogers Park.
The atmosphere struck her instantly. “I remember seeing this kind of cavernous place there. It was all dark, but there was music coming from it,” Garness recalls. “I could smell teas and the coffee … a whole ambiance that wafted out the door.”
For countless young people in their teens and twenties, venues like No Exit became second homes in Chicago. Garness credits her career as a botanical artist and a steward of natural lands in Northern Illinois to the insights and connections she fostered through exposure to politics and environmentalism at this coffeehouse.
No Exit was part of a wider landscape of coffeehouses, including It’s Here, the Amazingrace, the Why?, Medici on 57th, and Ali’s on 63rd, all of which played integral roles in the folk revival movement that swept through America from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.
During this era, acoustic music and rural songs captivated the imagination of a younger demographic searching for authenticity amidst the polished sounds dominating the radio.
“You had a whole audience of younger people who had never heard this music before, and it sounded much more raw and real than what was happening on the radio,” explains Mark Guarino, author of “Country and Midwestern: Chicago and the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival.”
These coffeehouses provided safe gathering spaces free from the influence of alcohol, where new audiences could experience a diverse array of live music. Many iconic folk performers, including Steve Goodman, Michael Smith, and Fred Holstein, got their first breaks at these venues.
Art Thieme was one such performer, making No Exit his regular stage for over three decades. Joe Moore, the coffeehouse owner at the time, offered him his first opportunity to perform back in 1959. “They had a $1 cover, and he made one-quarter [of whatever money came in],” recalls Thieme’s son, C.T. Thieme. “It cost him more to get back home than he made that night.”
At No Exit, the roots of folk music were nurtured, largely thanks to Dodie Kallick, another local musician who became a consistent fixture, paving the way for other performers and fans to connect.
Moore reflected on this growth, stating, “It’s how the coffee shop worked — things grew in it. A chess tournament grew in it, the folk singing grew in it.”
Without such coffeehouses, many young people would have remained excluded from live music experiences. Organizations like the YMCA even ventured into hosting coffeehouses to ensure youth had a social outlet unlinked to alcohol.
Some cafés, like It’s Here, sought to attract larger crowds and hosted performances that featured future legends such as John Denver and Joni Mitchell during their early careers, providing young hopefuls with opportunities to shine.
Reflecting on those formative years, many who frequented the coffeehouses recognize their impact on personal identity and community building. Lesley Kozin, whose family later owned No Exit, shares that to this day, she finds herself instinctively looking up when someone enters her favorite local bar, reminding her of the sense of belonging fostered at No Exit.
“If it was a place that called to you, you may never leave,” Kozin adds, underlining the deep sense of connection created within those walls.
The vibrant folk revival atmosphere began to dwindle by the late 1970s, prompting coffeehouses to adapt or close their doors. In 1977, Leslie’s parents became owners of No Exit after years of being regulars and employees.
In order to keep No Exit alive, Brian and Sue Kozin diversified their offerings beyond folk music. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, they opened their doors for poetry readings and comedy nights, with performers like Michael Shannon gracing the stage, who later mentioned No Exit in a sketch on “Saturday Night Live.”
Despite these changes, the essence of community remained unchanged. Across 22 years of ownership, the Kozins engaged with patrons as friends, often blurring the lines between business and socializing. In fact, if there was no one available to answer phones or serve drinks, customers were encouraged to step in and help out.
The Kozins also hosted holiday events, which became legendary among regular attendees. “The No Exit Thanksgivings were epic,” Lesley reminisced. “It was just a bunch of us — we call ourselves hippie cousins.”
Sadly, in 2000, No Exit closed its doors, becoming one of the final coffeehouses of its kind in Chicago. The passion of the Kozins played a crucial role in prolonging its life, despite the challenges. As Brian candidly stated, “We just never made any money off the damn place. … We barely made a living. You know, it’s about the music. It’s not about the money. If it were about the money, we wouldn’t have been there.”
image source from：https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment-and-culture/2025/04/19/chicago-coffeehouses-folk-music-revival
