Frenzy Coffee Co. celebrates first full year of operation
Complete with a new spring menu, DJs and local vendors, the cafe was bustling for its birthday party
By PIPER AWEEKA — city@theaggie.org
On April 3, the interior of Frenzy Coffee Co. in Downtown Davis was swarmed with customers. As a line extended out of the cafe’s front doors, clients celebrated Frenzy’s first anniversary of serving specialty coffee to the Davis community. Situated on the corner of B and 1st Street, Frenzy remains one of the city’s closest coffee shops to the UC Davis campus.
Aizl Albon, UC Davis graduate and Frenzy employee, described the history of the building as well as the impact its location has had on its success.
“It used to be a Vietnamese restaurant, then it was a taqueria and now it’s this coffee shop,” Albon said. “It’s such a big space for students to just sit and study, to have a place to be off campus and also explore different specialty coffees. It’s really convenient.”
As Frenzy reached its first year of operation, Albon noted how the celebration, complete with 13 local vendors, embodied the coffee shop’s mission of connecting with the Davis community.
“We have such a big space that we want to utilize it, so that we can invite the community in and be a part of the community itself,” Albon said. “There are lots of students [who are vendors], and there’s even a dad selling his laser engravings.”
With offerings that ranged from homemade jewelry, handcrafted stuffed animals and curated vintage clothing, the plentiful ways to support local vendors.
Haadiyah Akbar, a third-year managerial economics major and owner of Fairy Meadows Cafe, was one student vendor in attendance. Standing behind a menu advertising her “best-selling” tiramisu, lemon blueberry muffins and rose and cardamom tres leches cake, Akbar described how she ended up partaking in the anniversary party.
“I saw Frenzy’s posts because I follow them, and it’s like one of my favorite cafes here [in Davis],” Akbar said. “I submitted an application as soon as I saw it, I’m pretty sure on the last day, actually.”
Akbar explained how her small business became a reality.
“I’m originally from the Bay [Area], and I’ve loved baking since I was little,” Akbar said. “After thinking about a business since high school, I finally decided to launch it here at Davis. Everyone has really enjoyed my tiramisu and supported me.”
Another vendor, Mara Gervais, creator of Mara Gervais Zines, stood behind a table of stickers, prints and mini magazines while she emphasized how the celebration of Frenzy coffee also extends to the appreciation of its community atmosphere.
“I actually don’t drink coffee because I’m really sensitive to caffeine, but I absolutely love this space,” Gervais said. “All of the organizers and staff are super sweet and always asking ‘Do you want anything?’ You don’t get that a lot at every event [...] The line has also just been non-stop this whole time; I’m super impressed.”
As customers circulated throughout the open floor plan, tunes from three rotating local DJs filled the air. For guidance, green and white posters displayed a QR code featuring event info, including a map of the vendors.
Harrison Norwood, a third-year molecular and medical microbiology major, echoed Gervais’ sentiment about the celebration being just as much about community as about coffee.
“One of my co-workers was selling stuff, and I wanted to come by,” Norwood said.
In addition to enjoying free music and browsing artisan goods, customers were offered a complimentary white and green striped tote bag on their way to wait for their drinks.
Gabriella Pool, a fourth-year psychology and sociology major, sat near the counter, accompanied by her spotted black and white dog, Luna. Pool highlighted the positive social opportunity that the free celebration offered the community.
“Having a third space like this, where there’s free music and you can just come and hang out, is so nice,” Pool said. “[A] lot of time, like at the flea markets in the Bay [Area], you have to pay to get in [...] It’s nice to have things like these happen where you can just come and enjoy yourself.”
Written by: Piper Aweeka — city@theaggie.Wriorg