Frozen Yogurt: A Cure For Empty-Nest Syndrome

Two women explain how joint entrepreneurship helped to fill the Empty-Nest void.

Empty-nest syndrome can be a psychologically debilitating condition that creates feelings of stress, anxiety and depression when children leave home but for two Old Tappan locals the cure to the condition is entrepreneurship.

Karen Capone and Barbara Schiavi-Buquicchio are the proud owners of the first Spoon Me Frozen Yogurt franchise in North Jersey. The two women left the business world years ago to raise their families but will now open the doors to their new business venture and they are inspiring other parents who recently became empty-nesters to follow the same path.

"Psychologists and medical professionals offer advice and recommendations on how to cope with stress and anxiety caused by empty-nest syndrome," said Capone, "but for most individuals the answer is within themselves."

Capone and Schiavi-Buquicchio were friends since their children's elementary school years. They would exercise every morning after dropping the kids off at school and reminisce about starting a business together once the children were older.

That time has arrived for both women and on Friday, October 7, 2011 they will cut the ribbon to their Spoon Me store located at 216 Old Tappan Road in the Bi-State Plaza. Although Capone and Schiavi-Buquicchio have primarily been tending to their families the past 15 plus years, they never lost touch with the business world.

"It used to be 'family first'," said Schiavi-Buquicchio. "We always had side businesses to keep us busy during school hours but family was our source of fulfillment."

Capone is an attorney who has done per diem legal work since her children were born. In the past several years, she also helped her husband run his own lawn sprinkler business.

Schiavi-Buquicchio has a history of financial management and has kept her hand in business through medical transcription while raising her children.

"Now that one child is away at college and the other will be shortly, running our own business has filled the empty-nest void tremendously," continued Schiavi-Buquicchio. "I feel revitalized."

Capone and Schiavi-Buquicchio give the same advice to every empty-nester suffering from the blues. Finding your own solution, like starting a new business venture, will continue to bring feelings of success and excitement. For Capone and Schiavi-Buquicchio, the solution is in frozen yogurt.

Spoon Me Frozen Yogurt and Smoothies is located at 46 E Bi-State Plaza, 216 Old Tappan Road in Old Tappan, 07675. The store will be open Monday through Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am-12am and Sunday 12pm-10pm.

For special offers and promotions text "OldTappanSpoon" to 96362 or Like the Old Tappan Spoon Me page on Facebook.

For more information on opening a Spoon Me franchise, contact Karen Capone at Karen@OldTappanSpoon.com or Barbara Schiavi-Buquicchio at Barbara@OldTappanSpoon.com.

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