On Tuesday, Feb. 17, Frunchroom Collective, located downtown at 1193 S. Milwaukee Ave. in the Greentree Plaza shopping center in downtown Libertyville, had its grand opening. The coffee shop is opening its doors to create a space that blends coffee, wellness and community all together.

Founded by a sister and brother duo, Ivy Sukenik and Stuart Nitzkin, who grew up valuing hospitality, the coffee shop blends together cozy seating, family photos, local small business vendors and event spaces to build a new “third space,” where people can come together and gather in the community.

“We wanted to incorporate the idea of well-being, and to do it in a way that was non-judgmental, knowing that well-being means different things to different people,” co-owner Ivy Sukenik said. “So, for you, it might mean yoga, and for me, it might mean sitting down and reading a book.”

Frunchroom is Chicago-slang for front room. As the owners grew up north of Chicago in a front room full of laughter, connection and warmth, they wanted to bring the same welcoming spirit to Libertyville.

“Essentially, it’s a place where people gather in communities,” Sukenik said. “So when we were trying to think of a name for our space, Frunchroom made a lot of sense because we wanted to recreate that feeling. And the collective part was this idea of bringing different people together in a collective.”

As fostering community is a big goal of the coffee shop, Frunchroom Collective partners with different local businesses and vendors in the area, including coffee and iced tea from Tala Coffee Roasters. The menu also features two main specialty drinks: the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Latte and Mrs. Nitti’s Cookies Latte.

“Mrs. Nitti’s Cookies Latte is based on my mom’s cookie recipe, which is served with one of her cookies that my daughter makes,” Sukenik said.

In addition to coffee, the cafe highlights locally baked goods, including Defloured, a small women-owned bakery in Chicago that is coincidentally also gluten-free. They offer their muffins, scones and brownies. They also have cake pops from a small business they discovered in Portland while there for a coffee festival. Additionally, the coffee shop offers vegan items.

“We also have different pop-up vendors over time, like Bake 350, which is a local baker from Libertyville, so we’ll have her baked goods hopefully at least once a month,” Sukenik said. “And then also Lavish Bakehouse, we’ll have their things too. Hopefully, we’ll also have different food establishments that we’ll be able to offer when people reserve spaces.”

But Frunchroom Collective isn’t just about coffee and food. Even before the grand opening, the coffee shop had people approach them with event ideas, including yoga classes, support groups for moms and drop-in writing classes. In April, they are hosting an event that highlights different vendors who are focused on different natural home products. There has also been discussion of hosting a fashion show and having musicians perform. All upcoming events can be found on the coffee shop’s website. 

“My hope is that people start to imagine different ways to use the space,” Sukenik said. “So that’s what’s been exciting…to talk to people about their ideas…[and] dreaming up something and then collaborating with them.”

The owners hope to create an inclusive space that welcomes teenagers, especially Libertyville High School students, as they often have difficulty finding spaces that make them feel welcome.

“It’s important to us that everybody feels welcome here,” Sukenik said. “We want to have special programs around final [exams], and for young people to be able to come and feel like they’re not just second thoughts.”

As Frunchroom Collective settles into the Libertyville community, the owners hope to create a space that fits everyone’s needs in the community, whether it’s to explore community events, gather with friends or colleagues or sit in a quiet corner to read while enjoying refreshments. 

“[My brother and I] were actually adults before we realized that everybody didn’t have a frunchroom,” Sukenik said. “But essentially, it’s a place where people gather in communities… We wanted to recreate that feeling.”