Frank & Joes Coffee House opened a year ago in Parker Square and has already become the place to get fresh coffee with a laid back atmosphere. A mother and daughter team, Carol Murray and Jessica Edwards, started to put together their business plan 6 years before they opened the coffee hot spot.
“I have a love affair for coffee, and I was tired of standing in line for 18 minutes to get my coffee,” Carol said. There were three factors that they wanted their business to emulate. The first one was to honor the city and the history of the city, hence Frank Kell and Joe Kemp. The cities founders are the namesake of the coffee house. There are even portraits of the gentlemen in the building.
The second thing they wanted to do and be known for is “really fresh coffee”. “I learned that our competition could have their coffee in a warehouse up to a year,” Carol said. “I wanted us to have really fresh coffee and that would be an improvement from our competitions coffee. We get our coffee roasted every week, and if you have really tasted fresh coffee, it doesn’t compare to other coffees”.
They have 2 coffee roasters that cost $16000 a piece. “We have a large staff of 30 people. When you go to a competitor they push a button. We have a very manual process that is hand created. We don’t grind the bean until you order it,” Carol said. “We have the quality, and we do have a large staff to keep things moving.”
The third thing that they wanted to do is support area nonprofits. “We built that into our business plan,” Carol explained, “for every espresso and drip coffee, we donate ten cents to a worthy nonprofit. That adds up to about $1200 a quarter. We change nonprofits every quarter, and the team decides collectively on what will be the next nonprofit. P.E.T.S. is the nonprofit that we are working with now.”
“In terms of a business plan, that is what it is all about,” added Carol.
“Another fun thing is that we named some of our coffees after Wichita Falls,” Carol said. They have The Pavilion, with a nod towards Lake Wichita’s past. They have one named 8th and Ohio, and they have one named 1889, which is the year that Wichita Falls became officially incorporated.
“We are a lot like Frank and Joe,” Carol said with a smile. “Jessica is like Joe Kemp because he was the visionary, and I am like Frank Kell, with him being the numbers guy. I think that is why we make such a great team. She has a lot of creative skills and is an artist.”
The shop likes to use local items wherever they can. They get their wine from the Wichita Falls Vineyards and Winery. The pastries are from local bakeries and the odds and ends that they sell are all from local artisans and businesses.
Jessica and Carol have also branched out by acquiring the Primp and Blow Salon located in Parker Square.
“I think both of our concepts are big city concepts. We are proving that big city concepts work in Wichita Falls,” Jessica said.
-Cindy Kahler Thomas
