Partner Program Highlight: Frunchroom Collective
Mrs. Nitti’s Latte is inspired by, and a nod to, Ivy and Stu’s mom, Mrs. Nitti, and her legendary macadamia nut cookies. 🍪☕️ At Frunchroom Collective, even the drinks carry a little piece of home!
“Frunchroom” is a Chicago-style slang word for the front room or the formal, rarely used sitting room that you usually find at the front of the house. When pronounced, it sounds more as if the speaker is saying “French room” quickly due to the thick Chicago accent that started this casual usage of the term.
For Ivy and Stu, the owners and big-time dreamers behind Frunchroom Collective in Libertyville, “frunchroom” has a little different meaning. Rather than being the least used room in the house, it was the place where family and friends gathered every Friday night in high school and beyond in their family home in the north suburbs. It was, as Ivy describes it, the place that all their friends wanted to be invited to, even as most teenagers are trying to get away from their families at this age. She notes that her parents made it a cozy, familiar place for everyone to be a part of; a place that welcomed all and where all felt like family. Now, Ivy and Stu just have one simple goal: create a place that mimics the environment they had growing up within the community around them. Simply put, this feeling of belonging and being a part of the family is the spirit that nurtured the Frunchroom Collective from dream to execution.
As Ivy brought me around the Frunchroom for a tour, I was intrigued as to what made them decide it would be a collective rather than a cafe or coffee shop. The first stop is immediately to the left as you enter, at the front of the shop. This is their own “Frunchroom” dreamed up and complete with accents from their own family home growing up. The space is homey, cozy, and the perfect place to sip your coffee, sit with a friend, and catch up on life. It has rustic, cabin accents that remind Ivy of summer camp when she was young, dark wooden shelving, cozy seating, warm rugs, and, of course, family photographs, along with photographs from the family they are creating within their staff and community.
Continuing around the spacious yet warm cafe, there was ample communal seating with a large wooden table right in the middle and smaller two-tops dotting the perimeter. Ivy, being the warm and cheerful woman she is, was seated right in the middle of the table along with her daughter when I came in to order and introduce myself. As I entered, I was met with a big smile from Carla, who was at the counter, and was pointed towards the larger table to meet Ivy. She came up, genuinely excited by my being there. She introduced herself and told me to have a seat before treating me to a drink and introducing me to the team. At first mention, I thought talking at the large table would be a little uncomfortable because I didn’t want to disturb anyone around us. As I spent more time talking to Ivy, and then later Katie (the manager), I realized this big table is for exactly that: to be able to meet with and talk to the people around you while enjoying the community and connection. It creates space for one big conversation and to be with the people around you.
Off of the main room, there are two individual rooms that have sliding doors that can be closed for a more private meeting space. The “den” has three small tables with leather chairs that feel like an old vintage lodge. Ivy and Stu imagined it would be used best if there is a private meeting room booked, or just for a more intimate space while doing work. The other room, named the “sports room” has a TV in it and a large coach along with photos of Stu from his basketball days. This is a room where people can gather and watch sports or just use the TV as they please. Ivy told me she snuck in the pictures of Stu from when he was younger without him knowing, and this little playfulness and love for family summed up the Fruchroom Collective pretty well. The last room in the collective is a little more hidden and sound-insulated so as to make it suitable for yoga, meditation, or any other class the community might dream of. The room is created studio style with wooden floors, mirrors, and a place where multiple classes are held for different wellness practices each week.
As we toured, the collective part of the Frunchroom started to all fall into place. This building was built around the idea that it wasn’t just a cafe, but rather a place for people to gather, to feel like home, to build and cultivate community, to be creative, and to make it their own. Ivy, as she was talking me through the why of creating the Frunchroom Collective, had a twinkle in her eye, mentioning how it was a place to feel at home, but it was also a place for people to come and build community the way they want to build it. It was a place for “everything else”, everything that isn’t just a cafe, or just a workout studio, or just a sports bar. It’s all of them together and more, whatever you and I can dream up. The best part is, Ivy and Stu are so excited for it! They welcome the ideas and want the community to feel they can come to them with whatever they are imagining. Ivy, in the first few weeks of operation, has already been surprised by the number of new ideas people are coming up with and is excited to keep building and filling up their community events calendar.
Frunchroom Collective is the place where the public has a say in how they build community and connect with one another. They have the openness and choice in what to do as they linger with friends and a place to build their dreams over a cup of coffee. Ivy mentioned that they started with the focus being on coffee because coffee has a simple and unique way of bringing people together. She also noted how important it is for them to work with small, local vendors and businesses as much as they can. They love the idea of supporting each other as small businesses and the importance of knowing who you’re working with.
As for Tala, Ivy and Stu met with a handful of roasters in order to find their coffee provider, but as soon as they met the team at Tala, they were sold. They loved the kindness and humbleness of the people, along with the responsiveness they were receiving from the team. She added that it helps that people know Tala already. She has gotten people coming in, and upon seeing that Tala is the coffee provider, they share their excitement and their new plans to hit Tala during the week and the Collective on weekends. Frunchroom Collective also partners with other local and small businesses to supply their baked goods, teas, classes, furniture, education, and, of course, their coffee.
This being their first coffee(ish) business, while simultaneously working full-time jobs, Ivy shared she will be the first to ask questions and try to learn from the people around them. It goes a long way for them if the people they’re working with are reliable and kind, especially in an industry where it is easy to act like everyone should be coffee nerds. For Ivy, starting and running the Frunchroom Collective is more than doing everything right the first time; it’s about learning something new, working with good people, and hosting new ideas while keeping the same old family values and feelings.
All in all, the Frunchroom is a place where people want to gather. That is how Ivy described it to me, and now, as she and her brother, Stu, open up the Fruchroom Collective to the public, they are building a place for community that upholds those standards to the core. They put family first and treat their workers and clients alike as part of that family. If you’re looking for a place to gather, to find inspiration, to plan something new, to build a dream, or simply a place to meet an old friend over a good cup of coffee and feel at home, the Frunchroom Collective is your spot.
Haley Horvat
Meet Haley, our resident globetrotter here at Tala. When she’s not behind the bar, she’s likely baking something sweet or traveling the world, making new friends along the way. She’s always chasing good coffee and her next adventure!