Blue Box Cafe
176 E Chicago St
Elgin, IL 60120
Hand-drawn hometown collection
The Elgin Mug
A hand-drawn celebration of Elgin, available at Blue Box Cafe, Dream Hall at 51, and Viator Coffee Co.
15 oz ceramic mugMicrowave safeDishwasher safe
- Community
- Elgin, Illinois
- Local shops
Dream Hall at 51
51 S Grove Ave
Visit websiteDirections
Elgin, IL 60120Viator Coffee Co.
51 S Grove Ave
Visit websiteDirections
Elgin, IL 60120- Store hours
- Blue Box CafeMonday–Thursday: 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.–6 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday: ClosedDream Hall at 51Monday–Thursday: 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 7 a.m.–8 p.m.
Sunday: ClosedViator Coffee Co.Monday–Friday: 7 a.m.–4 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Sunday: ClosedCheck current hoursCheck current hoursCheck current hoursChecked September 14, 2026. Holiday, seasonal, and special-event hours may vary.
Community
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a creative Fox River city with striking architecture, a strong arts community, and stories visible throughout its historic downtown. The Hemmens, Gail Borden Library, public murals, and familiar riverfront landmarks give residents and visitors many ways to connect with the city.
The collaboration
The Elgin drawings grew into a downtown mural.
It has been wonderful working with Kevin and the teams connected with Viator Coffee Co. and Blue Box Cafe to celebrate Elgin. The community received the mug so warmly, and I am incredibly thankful for everything that grew from the collaboration.
What makes this design especially meaningful to me is that the mug became a mural in downtown Elgin. With Dream Hall at 51, Viator Coffee Co., and Blue Box Cafe helping bring the project together, Joel Amore painted my drawings on a much larger scale.
Seeing the artwork move from a mug into a public space has made Elgin one of my favorite community projects. I absolutely love that the drawings now help celebrate the city in such a visible way.
Mug turned mural
Collaborating to celebrate Elgin.
The mural is a separate public artwork inspired by the mug’s drawings; the mural itself is not pictured on the mug.
The Elgin Mug became larger than life when its hand-drawn local details inspired a 30-foot mural in the renovated DuPage Court.
Mural artist Joel Amore translated Ashley’s drawings onto the wall, creating a public artwork that shares Elgin’s story in the heart of downtown.
Dream Hall at 51, Viator Coffee Co., and Blue Box Cafe helped make the collaboration possible.
Read the mural storyThe story behind the mug
How Elgin became a story you can hold.
Three Elgin partners share the community story
The character of Elgin comes into focus
Elgin takes shape
The design grows larger than life
Available at three Elgin locations
Inside the illustration
Elgin details, drawn by hand.
Fox River
The Fox River runs through downtown Elgin, where the Riverside Drive Promenade connects the riverfront with Festival Park.
The Hemmens
Completed in 1969, the Hemmens Cultural Center grew from a bequest into a cornerstone of Elgin’s downtown civic center.
Gail Borden Public Library
The Gail Borden Main Library overlooks the Fox River with a Prairie School-inspired exterior and broad river-facing windows.
Historic Downtown Elgin
Elgin’s Downtown Commercial Historic District preserves a business center shaped by shops and commercial architecture from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Elgin Clock Tower
Journal · Behind the drawing
From Coffee Mug to Downtown Mural: The Elgin Story
How a hand-drawn mug, local coffee shops, and mural artist Joel Amore brought Elgin’s story into DuPage Court.
Read the story
Create a mug for your community