On a blustery winter day, the sign says it all: "A Warm Place to Chill."
"First thing, I would say is it's cozy," said customer Lois Woods.
That keeps customers coming back to Cool Beanz at 1325 30th Street in Rock Island.
"The atmosphere is just calm," said customer Janelle Schanfish. "You're able to focus."
It sounds like music to owner Annette Zapolis. The Augustana College graduate turned a brainstorm into a business back in 2009.
"We felt this was their third place," she said. "They've got work. They've got home, and they've got here."
Mixing specialty coffee drinks with a flourish and serving them with style.
"Getting to create a new and exciting product all the time," she said. "Having that seasonally changing menu is fun and exciting."
Cool Beanz is open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m, on Monday through Friday. It's open from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. on weekends.
"They're trained how to do it," Schanfish added. "It's not just home-brewed coffee."
There's also a Tuesday night Open Mike that features all kinds of entertainment.
This is a mix of coffee, conversation and community. Cool Beanz is helping to guide the College Hill District into the future.
One drink at a time, it represents a real neighborhood.
Cool Beanz is eclectic and energizing.
"I think it's really, really important," said customer Chris Strunk. "This has become a staple of the community."
"It's amazing to me how many different types of people can use the same space at the same time," said Zapolis.
All of that comes through in coffee that represents sustainable and environmentally sound growing methods.
"The different coffee from different places around the world," said customer Mike Woods.
"It's an art," added Schanfish.
Art that's consumed by the cupful, seven days a week.
"The coffee, first and foremost, is the most important," Zapolis said. "It's what we opened on. It's what we specialize in."
A specialty that's found a place in Rock Island and inspired other businesses to succeed.
"I see this as a starting point for a lot more that could happen at College Hill," Strunk said.
And for Annette Zapolis, it's a good place to be.
"Give people a comfortable place where they can feel at home," she concluded.
The neon sign sums it up: time for a coffee break at Cool Beanz in Rock Island.