Billy Corgan’s Tea Shop Struck By Car Second Time in Six Months

Vehicles won’t stop running into Billy Corgan‘s suburban Chicago teashop. That’s right, another car has crashed into the storefront.

What Is Madame ZuZu’s?

Corgan and his wife, Chloe Mendel Corgan, own and operate Madame ZuZu’s Emporium, a Chinese-style teahouse in Highland Park. The shop opened in the suburb’s downtown area in 2012.

Through the years, Madame ZuZu’s has transformed from a plant-based teashop into a cafe with a full menu and various teas and other drinks. It also features an area with vinyl records to purchase, along with a performance space that has featured sets by Corgan, Perry Farrell and others through the years.

Most recently, however, the business has started to become more known for cars slamming into it.

Latest Crash Causes ‘Exterior Damage’

According to Chicago’s WGN-TV, the latest crash involving the shop happened Tuesday when a car ran into the side of the building. While it is unclear what caused the crash, no injuries are being reported at this time.

Mendel Corgan reportedly told WGN that Madame ZuZu’s sustained “some exterior damage.” Photos shared by local news outlet The Record North Shore show cracked bricks on the building’s facade and metal window trim that also sustained damage.

This is the second time a vehicle has crashed into Madame ZuZu’s in the past six months.

In October 2024, a car drove over a curb before crashing through the shop’s window. Mendel Corgan’s mother, Jenny, was injured while eating lunch inside the building with the couple’s son, Augustus.

“Thankfully he was able to leap out of the way and was not injured,” Mendel Corgan said following the October incident that temporarily closed Madame Zuzu’s.

The shop remained open after Tuesday’s crash.

“Can you believe someone drove into the @madamezuzus AGAIN?” Corgan posted in an Instagram story, along with a photo where his reflection can be seen in the shop window.

The Smashing Pumpkins are next set to play a show in Bulgaria on July 27. Corgan, meanwhile, is preparing to hit the road with Billy Corgan and the Machines of God.

The project is expected to pull from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Machina/The Machine of God and Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music during the tour, which begins June 7 in Baltimore.