Thinking back on how things got started feels like a lifetime ago - we were both 19 when the initial conversation happened. Justin took me on our first date when we were sophomores in college. We went to the local coffee shop in Wheaton, IL. On that date he shared his dream of opening a coffee shop one day; the dream started while on a trip to Amsterdam, in high school with a small group. The coffee shop was called Dwaze Zaken - Foolish Things in Dutch. He was inspired by the attention and intentionality they provided through their coffee, food, and setting.
I was immediately blown away by his dream to open a cafe because of my own story and connection to coffee. I grew up in a small town outside of Indianapolis where my mom started a coffee shop in 1996 - pre-Starbucks on every corner. It was the heart and soul of our small town while it was open. She was an entrepreneur through and through - she actually didn’t even like coffee but she loved the idea of creating a space for community to happen. The cafe was called the Percolator on Pine, affectionately referred to as The Perc. I have very strong memories of being 8 and 9 years old taking orders an actual cash register, making change, and knowing everyone’s orders. My mom opened the Perc while fighting a stage-4 breast cancer diagnosis. She was able to see it open, work there for about a year and ultimately lost her battle with cancer but the impact she had on me and our whole town was one that will be felt for years to come.
Combining Justin’s vision and drive from when he was 16 years old and my core memories as a 9 year old cafe kid, we were destined to create Foolish Things. Fast-forward to 2011, we had been married for 1 year and Justin had the opportunity to build out his vision in the space where Foolish Things is now. We were 23 years old at the time and had no idea what we were doing, thank goodness! Ignorance truly is bliss!
We started down the path of bringing the coffee shop to life - it took 1.5 years to build the brand, secure funding (at the tail-end of the recession), work on the buildout, and see it to opening day. We opened our doors on September 13, 2012.
We’re 12 years in and are blown away by what has happened within the walls of Foolish Things - countless friendships, many business ventures that have been started at the community tables, relationships that turned into marriages, celebrations of life, wedding receptions, and much more.
We were two crazy kids that had an idea to start a unique community through the vehicle of coffee, and while we’re a bit older and hopefully wiser our motivation remains the same.
Stay foolish, friends!
Katie + Justin
The exterior of the cafe during the build out in 2011.
Us as kids in the cafe during construction - so many adventures ahead of us.
Katie and her mom in Zionsville, IN at the Percolator on Pine.
Dwaze Zaken in Amsterdam where Justin was first inspired to create a coffee shop concept that would become Foolish Things!