What Our Frenz Say...

Please let us add your comments, too - email them to RichZ@iserv.net, and we'll put them here!

• I love Frenz because of Rich, Michele, and Sue. They are the bright and shinning stars who make the coffee house what it is. All you have to do is visit with them a bit and you see what the Lord has done in their lives. Also, Rich asked me to transfer my jewelry from the Plainfield store to the one in Rockford. Having just met him, I thought he was one of the kindest men I've ever known.
  

  I want so badly for them to make it and have been praying so much for them. I wish we had extra money to help at this time, but we live from paycheck to paycheck. I had to quit my wonderful job 16 years ago because of illness. This was totally unexpected, but the Lord had a reason for it and still does. Would it help to try and sell the rest of my jewelry and have them keep whatever they make from future sales? I know it isn't much, but I really would do anything to help them keep Frenz alive.

  I just got over another bout of pneumonia so I hadn't been online in quite a while. It broke my heart to hear about what is happening to one of the warmest and kindest places I have ever been. I would be so happy to volunteer my services wherever they need me. I could work around my sick days. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
  

  Katherine Scanlon

• (The following is a reply to Al's comment below...) Al, Thank you for honestly and respectfully sharing your thoughts, as it's likely that others have had similar thoughts but just didn't voice them. Since I've been helping out with this fundraiser, I think I can accurately respond and clarify a few of your points.
  
  First, Rich & Michele have not at anytime blamed the landlords for their current situation. Neither have they "expected" anyone to help them with this fundraiser, we have only asked and many have responded. Frenz is a different type of business than most. It is much like "Cheers", where it's not just a place to buy coffee, but a gathering place for many, and a place to feel like you are known. I was thankful when Rich & Michele chose to swallow their pride and open up their lives to let others know what's going on. If they had just closed, and not given any of us a chance to try and help, that would have stung. Judging from the amazing donations so far, apparently many feel this way. For those that didn't and were not able to give or chose not to help out for whatever reason, that's totally OK - we were putting this out there, but if no one responded, then so be it. As it is, though, many in the community are showing how much Frenz really means to them, and it's been neat to see everyone come together. When it's someone you care about, you want to help them whether it's a business or personal issue.
  
  While they admit to not always having made "perfect" business decisions (welcome to owning a business!), neither does anyone always make perfect personal decisions, either - that's how life is. It's often a matter of trial and error to see what will work in a business. I know they struggled with the decision to put more money into the high cost of advertising when they were already low on funds and hadn't gotten much return on that in the past. All the regulars know what a tight ship they run and how hard they work to make Frenz a success. A while back Rich took a 3rd job and Michele came into the store full time to try and save labor costs to get ahead.
  
  Again, it's good that you put your thoughts out there, so things that others might be wondering about could be addressed.
  
  Thanks, Kelly
  

• Your blog said: "Please let us add your comments, too - email them to RichZ@iserv.net, and we'll put them here!"My comments are below. I'll be interested to see if that was a serious offer.

  As a long time resident of the city of Rockford, I often make Frenz my “coffee house of choice”, but I have a different, (and probably unpopular),view on this current situation.

  Both Frenz, as the tenant, and the landlord are trying to stay solvent in difficult times.
  The problem of lower than projected sales and profitability may be no one’s fault – just a sign of the times, but is is at least partially the result of business decisions made by the Frenz management.

  One thing is certain – the problems that Frenz faces are not the fault of the landlord. He is simply following through on the terms of a rental agreement that both parties entered into willingly.

  Throughout the time that led to this point The Frenz management were the only ones who knew what was happening and the only ones who had any control over what could be done to avoid the circumstances they are now facing. The landlord probably didn’t know exactly what pressures were mounting, and the Frenz customers surely didn’t. It is not the responsibility of the landlord or of Frenz customers to solve the problem.

  Many businesses and individuals have faced serious problems as a result of changing economic conditions. Many of the affected businesses, (restaurants being among the most active), have chosen to counter the problem by marketing themselves more aggressively through the use of ads and special offers, the likes of which consumers have not seen before. I haven’t noticed any comparably aggressive effort on the part of Frenz.

  The responsibility for this matter lies squarely in the hands of the Frenz management and ownership – nowhere else.

  I wish the folks at Frenz much success. I will miss the Rockford location if it is forced to close, but I feel strongly that they need to accept responsibility and find the solutions they seek on their own. Expecting customers to do this for them is unfortunate and irresponsible.

  I am all in favor of helping victims of the current economy, but that support is better placed in organizations like The Salvation Army or our own North Kent Service Center which aid families who find themselves out of work and losing homes through no fault of their own.

  It seems less appropriate and less “Christian” to lend that helping hand to a single business that faces problems that are, at least partially, its own fault.

  In fact, I think that true Christians should be embarrassed to think that any business should be held to lesser standards of performance, responsibility, and accountability just because they are “Christian”, as has been suggested.

• I love that Frenz provides my North Rockford Middle School art students with a place to see great local artwork! I love that Frenz supported my students by letting them decorate the coffee bean bar. I love that my students go to Frenz and come back talking about what a great place it is because I know it is a safe place for them to go after school.
  
  I love Frenz for my morning dash when I need a caffeine fix. I love it for meeting friends in a cozy and creative place. I love it because it is a better place for art department meetings than my classroom is. And, of course I love Frenz because the coffee is GREAT! Rachel
• I love walking into a place where I know friends will be. I love how WCSG is always on in the background. I love the Bible on the table. I love Mr. Picklehead every other Tuesday morning at 9:30 (and so does our toddler). I love David Brady of Water for the Thirsty, and all the other musicians that have played there. I love buying my coffee LOCALLY instead of in a corporate chain, where I know my dollars are helping my community and keeping local businesses available to me. I love their hazelnut and vanilla flavored coffees. I love seeing all sorts of people meeting there, from church groups to businessmen to Moms with babies. I love meeting my friends there sometimes without our babies. Kelly