In 2018, Dream Lab opened its door on National Avenue, and now, they have relocated just a couple of blocks away to 738 S. 3rd St. The "creative's cafe" will have a grand opening party this Saturday from noon to midnight.
“It was time for the next chapter,” says co-owner Shawn DeKay. “The right opportunity presented and we had to take advantage of it. The new location is pretty much everything we wanted: nicer layout, more natural light and a stand-alone building with better public visibility.”
Dekay says he and partner Gigi Andujal are particularly excited about the addition of outdoor seating.
Dream Lab’s mission is to provide a safe, creative and fun space that serves alcohol, but the emphasis isn’t on alcohol.
“We aren’t a coffee shop but we aren’t a bar either,” says DeKay. “There’s not a whole lot of places like ours to go in this city. When I quit drinking I noticed there wasn’t a lot of places to go that had a fun atmosphere without having to get hammered. I feel like we are that perfect in between.”
Dream Lab offers coffee, tea, beer, hookah, local art, art supplies, merch, hand crafted jewelry, tarot readings and more.
“I know what I wanted and couldn’t find, so I did my best to create it,” says DeKay. “We were also able to gain all this without leaving the neighborhood we love. We can see the old location from our new location’s window.”
Dream Lab is open Tuesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to midnight; Saturday from noon to midnight and Sunday noon to 10 p.m. Follow Dream Lab here.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
