Nov 26, 2018
By Jessica Ulett
Retro Mickey Mouse plays on the television screens, and mosaic windows provide lighting and a little extra beauty.
Every flavor of biscotti you can think of runs down the countertop, around the espresso machine to the register. Signature wraps and salads and pastries are on display.
Vintage posters line the walls, antique toys and trinkets are displayed and a collection of records sits by the front door for purchase.
Towards the back of the coffeehouse, a jukebox sits ready for customers to play music throughout the shop.
Krazy Kup is a family-friendly coffeehouse that serves the Plant City community.
Wenda and Frank Trunzo, owners of Krazy Kup, were inspired by The Beatles when decorating the two-story building.
The antiques and items throughout the shop were collected by the Trunzo’s years prior to opening Krazy Kup. Frank is a champion auctioneer, and they longed to open their own coffeehouse together.
The coffeehouse opened in October 2013. In 2018, the Trunzo’s won Entrepreneurs of the Year and City Beautification awards for creating a courtyard out of the alley that is next to the coffeehouse, in 2018. Krazy Kup also won Plant City’s Best Business of the Year award, beating other major businesses like Publix.
Krazy Kup hosts events each week including open-mic night, retro-movie night, bluegrass night and Christian music workshops. The second floor has a stage and is reserved for such events.
It is difficult having a family-friendly coffeehouse and hosting bands, the Trunzo’s said. They drafted a list of rules that artists must abide by to perform—such as no explicit language. Some performers still run their acts by Wenda before going on stage.
Trunzo’s two sons, Joshua and Jacob, are musicians and sparked their desire to open Krazy Kup as a local space for up-and-coming musicians to get their music out.
Jenny Weaver, a Christian artist, started her career at Krazy Kup as an open-mic night performer. A video of her performing at Krazy Kup went viral in 2015. Weaver has had her songs featured in the top Christian charts.
Religion plays a major role in the Trunzos’ lives. Krazy Kup is open to people of all religions and beliefs, but the Trunzo’s maintain Christian undertones for a majority of their events.
To keep up with the “Krazy” concept, Krazy Kup’s hours are nowhere near typical. Tuesday through Thursday, the coffeehouse opens and closes at 8:13. On Saturdays, Krazy Kup opens at 9:33 and closes at 10:33. It is closed on Sunday and Monday.
This was created by USF student Jessica Ulett for Jeanette Abrahamsen’s Advanced Reporting class in collaboration with WUSF’s Telling Tampa Bay Stories series.
