ByAbby Baker
Staff Intern
Historic Downtown coffeehouse Krazy Kup already has a unique interior. It is expanding its seating options to a funky alleyway dining courtyard, to the side of the eatery.
King Louie’s Kourtyard should be ready for guests soon.
With Krazy Kup growing 48% in the 2014-15 year, owner Frank Trunzo and his wife, Wenda Trunzo, mulled through several expansion options before settling on a walk-up window and outdoor courtyard.
“Everybody told us to do a drive-thru, but to me it didn’t seem cultural, and it really just didn’t fit who we are,” Frank Trunzo said. “I always revaluate my options, and I thought, ‘Nobody travels through that alley, it’s almost wasted.’”
Because of the almost non-existence traffic through the narrow alley, the City of Plant City along with the owner of the corresponding building encouraged the edition.
“I think the city realized our heart for Plant City,” Frank Trunzo said. “It’s an extension of who we are.”
Most of the art pieces and staples that will fill the space have a personal story or reason behind them.
The name for the courtyard comes from a painted statue that the Trunzo’s found. The statue stands outside the back-door of the coffeehouse.
A painting of a coffee-pot shaped man and woman decorates the side of a wall in the alley. The portrait is based off an image that Frank Trunzo saw and loved while getting into an elevator in New York City.
The floor of the alley, once tire-worn and aged, is coated a striking blue and green. The first of many lights hang. Poems and a few painted murals decorate the freshly-repainted walls.
Tables, chairs and high-tops will spot the courtyard leaving just enough room for a line of java junkies and the occasional musician.
Hours will be expanded as needed, and for the musically-inclined, the Trunzo’s are already planning performances by duos and trios to help liven up courtyard even more.