Kato Mele’s dream of opening a place for Lynners to gather, hear music and drink coffee took 15 years, $75,000, and lots of sweat equity to become a reality.
But in a single weekend that dream has become a nightmare and bankruptcy is a real possibility.
The 50-year-old former school-bus-company manager sold her Lynn home and used retirement savings to launch the White Rose Coffeehouse in Central Square one year ago.
But a Facebook post by her 23-year-old daughter has put the business in jeopardy. Yes, Sophie CK, as she calls herself online, said some outrageous and untrue things about police. She called them “bullies” and said they “keep murdering” people of color. If you’ve met a Lynn police officer, you know that’s not true. And she vowed to never host a “Coffee with a Cop” event at her family’s establishment.
But the response, much of it ugly, on White Rose’s Facebook page, was even worse. Mele said her daughter has received death and rape threats by some faceless internet cowards.
The usual morning crowd that patronizes the White Rose was sparse early Monday. Why? Because an employee, yes her daughter, posted a contemptible opinion and people were afraid to cross the Men and Women in Blue.
Despite firing Sophie and a sincere apology to the police from Mele that was published on Itemlive.com, many took to Facebook to say “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” and “What kind of parent would allow this?”
How can a parent can control every word their adult child utters?
Sophie has since apologized to Mele online. But the relationship is fractured between mother and daughter and Mele is worried if it will ever be repaired.
But not everyone online was so overzealous. We’d like to share one Facebook post on Wednesday addressed to the “Haters in Lynn.”
“Why should a small successful business suffer from one employee’s poor judgement, regardless if she is related to the proprietor. The business took appropriate action and fired her and publicly apologized for her actions. That is the end of it. Move on. Be thankful that new businesses are moving into Lynn to uplift the community. To continue to condemn a business for one worker’s inappropriate behavior and actions, which by the way, wasn’t illegal and within her constitutional right to free speech, is unproductive and futile. Lynn is cutting its nose off to spite its face. To continue this hatred and misplaced anger upon a business will only serve to chase new and established businesses out of Lynn. This is a non-issue. Get over it.”
In an interview with The Item, Mele was hopeful, but unsure whether the shop will survive.
“The first year of a restaurant is always a challenge and we’ve only been breaking even,”she said. “I’ve sold my Salem condominium to pay off debts. But we are survivors, we will pull it out.”
Here’s hoping they do.
