How One Brother-Sister Duo Turned Family Memories Into a New Kind of Coffee Shop

On any given morning, a coffee shop might offer caffeine and a place to sit, but for siblings Ivy Sukenik and Stu Nitzkin, it’s about something far deeper: recreating the feeling of home.

Just in time for National Siblings Day on April 10, their venture, Frunchroom Collective, is emerging as a reflection of the kind of childhood many people long for, offering a space where everyone feels like they belong the moment they walk through the door.

Frunchroom Collective didn’t start with a business plan. It started with a memory.

“We started Frunchroom Collective in the spirit of our parents, Sue and Steve Nitzkin,” says co-founder Ivy Sukenik. “They had this almost magical ability to help people feel like they were a welcome part of our family the minute they stepped foot in our house. When they died, I think we both knew we wanted to continue to honor their legacy by showing up for others and attempting to make people feel welcomed and included in some way.”

That ethos is now baked into every part of Frunchroom Collective, a hybrid café, gathering space, and wellness hub designed to function as a modern “third space,” somewhere between home and work.

At its core, it’s still a coffee shop. But it’s also a place for classes, events, and community-building, where people can linger longer than they typically would over a latte.

Like many sibling collaborations, the path to Frunchroom wasn’t immediate. The pair knew they wanted to build something together long before they knew what it would be.

“It took us a while to come up with the idea of the Frunchroom — we just knew we wanted to do something together,” Sukenik explains. “We share the same core values of service, a strong work ethic and care taking but at the same time have different approaches to leadership and management.”

Those differences, she says, have become a strength rather than a challenge.

“Our ability to learn from each other — and call each other out — makes working together a daily adventure! My respect and admiration for Stu grows all the time.”

If Frunchroom Collective is rooted in family, it’s also shaped by the realities of working with one.

“This process has been even more energizing and fulfilling than I ever could have hoped,” Sukenik says. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have the most remarkable business partner who is as used to being bossed around by me as I am as used to having him roll his eyes at me, but after 50 years, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The timing of Frunchroom Collective’s story feels especially fitting. National Siblings Day celebrates the lifelong bond between brothers and sisters — the shared history, the friction, and the support that shapes who we become.

“They say a sibling is the greatest gift a parent can give their child and I would say that Stu is the perfect example that my parents did, in fact, give me the greatest gift,” Sukenik says.

For Sukenik and Nitzkin, that bond is the foundation of their business.