Once upon a time there were three little girls -LoAnn, Lynelle and Lori who grew up just outside Green Bay, Wisconsin. We enjoyed spending time together whether it be having imaginary tea parties, pulling weeds in the garden in 95 degree weather, meeting for the girls-only club (our brothers weren’t allowed) or picking endless rocks in the backyard. But don’t be fooled by this sisterly-bonding though, we had our share of disagreements! And bickering, yelling, kicking, pinching, scratching, whining, complaining…..

Our future as three business owners was written in the past. The oldest sister LoAnn enjoyed talking and sales and well, talking.  She even went as far as negotiating a deal with her youngest sister Lori to wear a “For Sale” sign and sit at the end of the driveway. Lori was 5 years old at the time and LoAnn was supposed to be babysitting. Things went swimmingly well until our parents got home and said the price was too high.

Lynelle, the middle sister, was always seeking attention. We think it stemmed from often being left behind. She was usually the last one found in “Hide and Seek” (don’t ask her about the cedar trunk incident), never caught for tag and missed out on numerous family outings. Lynelle had a fit when she wasn’t invited to go along for the weekly ice cream outing. We all thought she was in the car although Mom did mention counting only 4 of the 5 children in the back seat of the car….

Lori, the youngest sister, was well…just cute. She had a knack for getting her own way, which some people may called “spoiled”, and had a personality that could warm your heart or take the wind out of you (when she was taking a karate chop blow to your chest). She was a feisty little kid and had a ton of energy. Lori also had an infatuation with pressing buttons and said her dream job was to be a cashier at Shopko, just pressing buttons all day long.

We grew up in a household where our parents, John and Lois, started their own business and it was key that you always had something to do- WORK that is. We got up early (to the sound of polka music) because more rocks mysteriously appeared overnight that had to get picked, the driveway had to be swept, dishes had to be done, underwear had to be ironed or you just moved because sitting was forbidden. The three of us believe our work ethic came from our parents and we live by 3 key phrases – “Do it right the first time”, “ ‘shut up’ isn’t a nice word”, and “don’t hit your sister”.

As the years passed we often found ourselves gravitating for coffee whether it be meeting over coffee, talking about coffee, buying coffee, or dreaming about coffee. We often wondered, “could coffee be our future?” or in another life we all were married to Juan Valdez?

We found out that life does have a funny way of working out. We, the three sisters-LoAnn, Lynelle and Lori, are now grown and found our future with Crystal Coffee Café & Beanery. “We wanted to do something together, and we all love coffee so this business was a perfect fit for us,” said LoAnn.  Crystal has been in business for over 15 years, started out by Rita Schounard in August 1994, one of Green Bay’s original coffee shops.  We’ve been customers for so many years that we felt a part of the business before we ever purchased it from Rita in April 2003.

On January 28, 2007 Crystal moved 1 ½ blocks from it’s original location to the new building, which is now located at 2625 South Packerland (right across from Settle Inn by the airport). “We loved the neighborhood and customers, didn’t want to move far, and wanted to give them more of what they were asking for,” said Lynelle.

Along with roasting coffee for over 10 years onsite, we offer an environment that’s comfortable for all ages.  “Whether you have children, want to meet friends, or have a small business meeting, we’ve got a spot for everyone,” said Lori. There’s even a chair from our childhood home in the shop! Now how’s that for family?  WIFI is available for getting some work done outside of the office without interruption.

As far as the sisters go- LoAnn is still in sales although it’s coffee and gift baskets she sells, not her younger sister. Lynelle is forgotten no more! She’s included in the schedule, all the meetings and now gets attention from her latte skills. And last but not least is Lori who is now known as “Queen of the Cash Register”- she can process an order faster then the speed of light.