SERVICES FOR HIRE:
CALL FOR A MEETING AND BID/ESTIMATE OFFER 312-560-8324
~Retail Development: How to scale your two or three shop coffee business, add locations, soup to nuts, open your shops!
-Design
~Design-Build
~Consult
~General Contracting
~Custom Carpentry, Woodwork, and Fabrication
~Cabinet making, Community Tables, Countertops, Built-ins, Magic Tables, Art Work Benches, Heirloom Quality Custom Furniture
~Residential Work focusing on Victorian custom restoration and remodeling, interior and exterior.
WHAT WE DO
Walnut Spaceship is a development + design + build firm that creates spaces and the things that go in them. We design and build retail coffee bars, bakeries, co-working spaces, coffee roasteries, restaurants, corporate flagship sites, theater sets, and even Victorian homes, interior and exterior restoration. From brand concept, retail flow and layout, architectural plans, to custom tables: we develop, we design, we make.
THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Every project is an event. People want to be together. Any gathering is enhanced by a retail offering, such as a great cup of coffee. This prioritization sets the stage for retail success. Walnut Spaceship helps a client make a market by identifying and innovating upon ongoing micro-cultural experiences paired with retail. Add to this: geographic market selection (LA, Chicago, Seattle, Louisville, San Francisco, and beyond), individual and multi store site selection, landlord negotiation, work letters, site design, custom build and up-fit, operate, and sell (that cup of coffee)!
PAUL LEISEN, PRINCIPAL DESIGNER + CARPENTER
Paul Leisen holds a PhD in social-political philosophy (Loyola University Chicago). He has a background in theatre performance and set design (B.S., Northwestern University). Leisen flips the development story in favor of people. Strategic design thinking answers the felt conditions of contemporary fragmentation and isolation. Project success closely follows the success of its makers. Person to person connection in a shared endeavor makes it happen.
Leisen worked as Director of Development for Doug Zell at Intelligentsia Coffee during its most exciting growth phase, opening shops in Venice Beach, Pasadena; relaunching multiple stores in Chicago, notably his full design of Millennium Park, and breaking ground for a coffee roastery in San Francisco. Intelligentsia was subsequently acquired by Peet’s Coffee/JAB Holdings. (Andrew Barnett now owns the SF Linea Cafe Roastery on Potrero Hill!)
In 2011 Leisen formed leisendesign. Along with Dan Weiss and group of investors Leisen worked to reinvent two-store Dollop Coffee, resulting in multiple locations, strategic acquisitions, and a roastery. Leisen shepherded Dollop’s rapid development, executing site selection, lease negotiation, design, architecture, finishes, and multiple unique and successful shop openings.
Pairing with Datascope Analytics (acquired by IDEO in 2017) Leisen reclaimed a 17th floor office suite overlooking Chicago’s Millennium Park. He invented a multi colored and delightfully illuminated creative launch pad for a leading edge consultant in today’s big data world.
Leisen has designed theatre sets for the Curious Theatre Branch, Theatre Oobleck, and the Rhinoceros Theatre Festival. Leisen writes and continues study on Hannah Arendt, Sheldon Wolin and Brecht. He has lectured on Philosophy at Loyola University.
Leisen works on Chicago’s beautiful Victorians and Bungalows. He has added to his carpentry craft repertoire: a focus on restoration, hardwood and painted built-ins, grand scale bookshelves, walk-in pantries, exterior crowning corbels, and custom door frames, and all manner of whimsical improvement in the spirit of his hero, Wharton Esherick.
Leisen lives in Chicago with Dawn Hillman and their three (sometimes five) children, and step children: Betty, Matthias, Penelope, Finn, and Sven.
COMMERCIAL PROJECTS
Employed Starbucks MW Region 10 years.
Avocation Fringe Theatre Perform/Design 15 years
Rhinoceros Theatre Festival
Employed Intelligentsia Coffee 10 Years
Broadway Intelligentsia, Chicago
Monadnock Intelligentsia, Chicago
Millennium Park Intelligentsia, Chicago
Venice Intelligentsia (Project Mgmt and select custom woodwork), Los Angeles
Pasadena Intelligentsia (Project Mgmt), Los Angeles
Ecco Roasting, San Francisco
Leisendesign/Walnut Spaceship 2011-present
Dollop Streeterville 345 E Ohio, Chicago
Hoosier Mama Pie & Coffee, Evanston
Dollop 343 S Dearborn, Chicago
Hoosier Mama Pilsen Bakery, Chicago
Dollop 860 N Dewitt, Chicago
Dollop 225 W Washington, Chicago
New Wave (up-fit), Chicago
Dollop Kickstand, Belmont, Chicago
Dollop Bakeshop 1000 N Damen + Augusta, Chicago
Dollop 55 W Monroe, Chicago
Dollop Hyde Park U of C, Chicago (closed)
Datascope/IDEO Headquarters 17 N State, Chicago
Metropolis Granville (future), Chicago
Dollop Diner, Chicago
Dollop 670 N Wells, Chicago
Dollop 801 S Financial Place
Level Co-Working Cafe, Pioneer Square, Seattle
Dollop 853 N Larrabee, Chicago
Halfwit Roasting at 4200 Workspace, Chicago
Wormhole 1965 N Milwaukee-Armitage-Ashland, Chicago
Helix Cafe 6237 N Clark, Chicago
Busted Bean Lab 1807 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY
Smack Dab Restaurant (up-fit), Chicago, 6730 N Clark, Chicago
Newport Coffee cycle-cart, Evanston
Dollop 1000 W Lake, Oak Park IL
Dollop 1508 W Sherman, Evanston, IL
Dollop 808 N Wells, Chicago
Custom built-ins, and Victorian restorations for private clients
Sputnik Coffee Main Bar Structural Design, Select interior work
72 Lights Coffee Cart