As I sit in my dorm room while the rain pours down, the mood is overwhelmingly spring, and I can’t help but think about spring activities to do while it’s pouring, sunny, cloudy, or anything in between. Recently, my friends and I ventured out to Downtown Champaign and spent a day in the area looking at the shops, restaurants, and cafes. If you ever find yourself in the area, here are some places to stop by!
Cafe Kopi
My friends and I began our day at Cafe Kopi, an adorable coffee shop with great coffee and food. There are a bunch of wooden tables scattered around with beautiful art pieces above them. If you’re looking for some coffee or tea to start off your adventure, Cafe Kopi is the place!
Plant Mode
We continued our day by stopping by Plant Mode, a small plant shop. Behind the check-out desk you can see a record player constantly playing music. There is also a bin of three dollar records if you are a record fan! If you’re a lover of plants, stop by Plant Mode to peruse plants galore.
Ten Thousand Villages
Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade retailer of artisan-crafted home decor and jewelry. The store is beautiful and has gorgeous hand-made pieces. They also have unique jewelry and a number of candles that smell phenomenal. It’s truly a stunning store, and I recommend a stop in!
Jane Addams Book Shop
This used book store is incredible. It’s three floors of books, each floor with small rooms to enter for a new category of books. It reminds me a bit of Powell’s books, but with a bit of a homier and simpler feel. The floor is carpeted and there is seating scattered, adding to the homey feeling. I bought a few pages of old sheet music and my friend bought an old map. If you intend to stop by this store, give yourself plenty of time to wander through the many aisles.
Fiesta Cafe
We ended up stopping by Fiesta Cafe for lunch, a Mexican restaurant. The restaurant is decorated beautifully and vibrantly with hanging plants all around. The food was wonderful and it’s just a quick walk from the Illinois Terminal bus stop. If you need a quick lunch spot, I urge you to try Fiesta Cafe out.
Furniture Lounge
The Furniture Lounge is a combination furniture, antique, and thrift store. There is plenty of furniture, but there is also a collection of beautiful antiques of all sorts and the lowest level is full of vintage clothing. This store is beautiful, and has three incredible floors of things galore.
Walnut Street Tea Company
The final destination of our trip was the Walnut Street Tea Company, an adorable tea shop with all things tea. They sell beautiful teapots, all sorts of tea, and cool tea appliances. If you’re as big of a tea fan as I am, this is a must!
These are just a handful of the shops in Downtown Champaign. If you’re bored on a weekend, downtown Champaign is a great use of time! Look around, grab a bite, and find your favorite spots to return to.