Ability, Reliability, Endurance, and Action, is what the acronym AREA stands for. It was also the name of our town itself, after educational entrepreneur Arthur Sheldon’s sales school philosophy from 1909 until 1924, when we became Mundelein after Cardinal Mundelein of St. Mary’s on the Lake.
To owner Mr. Frank Mahar, preserving the name of what once was AREA general store was crucial to honoring our town’s history. “We didn’t really want to change anything,” said Mahar, “It’s a coffee shop in the area, so it just fit.”
Faith and intuition have led Mahar through his business journey. “I wasn’t even looking to get into the food business, never been in it before,” Mahar mentioned. “I knew the guy who ran the AREA General Store and we would meet there for Bible studies. I asked him if he’d ever thought about selling and he said as a matter of fact I have, I was just making small talk then.”
By February of 2019, that small talk became a reality and AREA Coffee opened its doors. “We came together and decided it was a win-win for everybody,” Mahar added.
Though Mahar had to work through the ins and outs of starting a food business with virtually no experience, the mission was clear from the beginning – community. “Enjoy coffee, enjoy community. That’s probably the biggest part because we really wanted to just be a safe place for people,” said Mahar.
Various events throughout the year showcase these connections, one being their weekly “Cup of Joe” night, where veterans can enjoy a free coffee and bakery item, along with a thank you for their service. Other events include weekly small groups, and in the summertime, joint open mic nights with Park Street restaurant.
Out of all the different perks and experiences running a business can bring, the heart of it all for Frank is the people. “And that’s both the customers and the people we get to hire, a lot of our high school students. That’s a big joy, watching you guys grow. Even if a lot of times it’s your first job,” Mahar stated.
AREA employee and Junior at MHS, Sam Beginski, has experienced these connections firsthand, “My favorite part of working at AREA is how connected I feel to the community since I started working there.”
The business intends to prepare MHS students for their futures in their time working there. To achieve this, their training prioritizes autonomy. “We try to give you guys responsibility where you’re running the shop for two hours, three hours by yourself. There’s a trust level there. But we feel like that’s a big part of where hopefully people can grow. Our big thing is to teach you guys, we can mess up a cup of coffee, but we can’t mess up that first interaction. We want to love and encourage everybody that walks through the door” Mahar explained.
AREA extends that encouragement by providing job opportunities through the MHS Transition Center. “They’ve been a part of our daily two or three days a week where they come in and work about an hour, hour and a half. We teach them different facets of the business,” Mahar explained.
Ultimately, a safe space for people of all backgrounds is what AREA aims to be. Frank’s main goal as a business owner is “to love our community, just to make people feel loved and encouraged, like they matter. The rest of it falls in line if you’re doing that.”
Maintaining that safe space to Frank means being able to speak on what’s happening in the community and in the world as a whole, “A safe place where people could share their views and not have walls go up right away. I’d love to be able to talk about politics and get other people’s views and just be open to listening to where and why they’ve come to that choice,” said Mahar.
Whether it be for a cup of coffee, to study, or just to socialize, AREA Coffee is a place where the people of Mundelein can do it all.
