“Early on in setting up our husband-wife small business, someone told us itʼs never a
good idea to work with family members, but for us itʼs been great ” says Nina Hannoun
of Hannoun Rugs from Morocco. The Hannouns see each other every day but donʼt
get on each otherʼs nerves because Mark has “his” store at 3817 N Lincoln and she has
“hers” two doors north at 3821 N Lincoln. Though they both sell rugs and share the task
of selecting them on their twice yearly buying trip to Morocco, Mark takes care of
customers who come into the store while Nina responds to customers who navigate to
their website, www.hannounrugs.com “Mark is a natural salesperson. Heʼs very warm
and patient with customers but above all else I think heʼs good because heʼs honest
with them. If he doesnʼt know the age or the exact location of where a rug was made,
heʼd say so rather than make a story up out of thin air.”
Often the impetus for couples to work together is that while they may have different
talents they share similar values. Nina Hannoun, “We decided long ago that we didnʼt
want to be the stereotypical ʻpushyʼ rug dealers because being artists ourselves, we
enjoy taking the time to imagine how an object such as a rug will fit in our space before
buying, which is the reason we let people take the rugs to try them out before
committing to buy. I also like to think that even though we sell most of our rugs to highend
designers, weʼre just as sensitive to walk-in customers who may not have as much
cash so we keep our prices as low as we can. Overall, itʼs the idea of our store having
beautiful rugs that are affordable for more people that really keeps us going forward. A
piece of art, hand-made, brought all the way over from Morocco for $300, who can beat
that!”
Like the Hannouns, Chelsea Waldrop and Kevin Porter, the married-to-each-other
owners of de.li.cious café at 3827 N Lincoln, have separate functions at work although
they both embrace the vegan lifestyle. Kevin is the “coffee aficionado” often out and
about learning how to make the best tastinʼ, prettiest lookinʼ cup of joe whereas
Chelsea, with the help of her sister Katy, makes sure their customers get served ASAP
and with a smile. “All three of us used to work at a cafe in Wicker Park before we
opened up de.li.cious café. We used to dream out loud, ʻIf we had our own cafe, we
would....ʼ and then fill in the blanks. Being a vegan, offering a vegan Rice Krispie treat
was number one on my must list, that and making a vegan Sʼmore and a vegan egg
salad sandwich,” says Chelsea. Now her younger sister Katie has taken on the role of
master baker which will free up Chelsea to promote the newly opened “de.lic.ious café”
to more Chicagoans and vegan visitors to Chicago via their website, www.deliciouscafe
chicago.com
Both couples agree that being up front and honest with their partners is the only way to
go. Chelsea Waldrop, “You canʼt work side by side and carry a grudge. You have to get
to whatʼs bothering you, speak you mind, then find a way to resolve the issue.” So thin -
skinned couples need not apply? “Yes, and those with power struggles,” adds Nina
Hannoun. “You know the Three Musketeers motto, ʻAll for one; one for allʼ ? That kind of
loyalty has got to be in your heart. Mark and I live by it and I think Chelsea and Kevin do
too.”