Either Billy Corgan’s tea shop is in a bad location traffic-wise, or people aren’t digging the Smashing Pumpkins frontman’s scones. On Tuesday (April 29th), a car crashed into Madame Zuzu’s in Highland Park, Illinois, for the second time in six months.
Thankfully, unlike the incident in October, no one was hurt this time around, and the damage to the storefront wasn’t nearly as severe. According to WGN9, the alt-rock musician’s wife, Chloe Mendel Corgan, reported that it was “an honest accident” and that there was “some exterior damage.”
A statement on the shop’s official Instagram page read, “Earlier today, there was an accident outside of Madame Zuzu’s involving a vehicle that struck the front of the café. Thankfully, no one was injured. Thank you to everyone who checked in and offered support.”
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By the time WGN9’s helicopter was over the scene, the car had been moved from the area, with only some damage to the shop’s brick facade visible.
Billy himself posted a photo of the damage on X/Twitter, with the caption, “Can you believe someone drove into the front of Madame Zuzu’s AGAIN?” The rocker can be seen taking the photo in the window’s reflection.
The result was far worse in October, when a red Mini Cooper crashed into Madame Zuzu’s, injuring Billy’s mother-in-law, with his son narrowly avoiding harm. The shop’s windows were completely blown out due to that incident.
The Pumpkins singer-guitarist originally opened the tea shop in Chicago’s Ravinia neighborhood in 2012. After shutting it down in 2018, Billy and Chloe re-opened the store at its current Highland Park location in September 2020. In addition to selling tea, Madame Zuzu’s offers a largely vegan menu of food items.
On the music front, Corgan is as busy as ever. He recently announced a solo tour celebrating the Smashing Pumpkins albums Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (30th anniversary) and Machina/The Machines of God, plus its sequel Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music (both 25 anniversary). That outing kicks off June 7th in Baltimore and runs through June 29th in Minneapolis, with tickets available here.
Additionally, Corgan is teaming up with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for a series of concerts reimagining Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in November.
Watch WGN9’s report on the latest car crash at Madame Zuzu’s, and see Billy Corgan’s tweet of the damage, below.
Thankfully no one was injured pic.twitter.com/DPmOdmqjgy
— William Patrick Corgan (@Billy) April 29, 2025
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