From Make-Believe to Reality

At the early age of three, Milford High School (MHS) senior Becca Dipiazza was already imagining herself serving people coffee, and teaching kids. Sure, the food and drinks may have been made of plastic, and the children may have been stuffed animals, but still, those were the earliest signs of her outgoing personality and passion for people.

“I’ve always been a people person. I’m outgoing, super talkative, and I like to meet new people,” Dipiazza said. “My family’s businesses have given me a much greater opportunity to socialize than I ever imagined I would have at work.”

When Becca was 16 years old her dad, Frank Dipiazza, went out on a limb and opened his own coffee shop in Brighton, Mich.. Their church, The Well, was moving to a new building, and the pastor invited them to create Proper Cup, the coffee shop, in the foyer. Frank has always wanted to own a business of his own, so opening the coffee shop was a surreal experience for him.

“I have always had a passion for coffee, and I wanted to bring a proper cup of coffee to the suburbs,” Frank recalls. “I wanted to create a space for the community to get together.”

The Dipiazza family’s biggest mission with their shop has been to provide a meeting place for people to step away from daily chaos or stress. A place where they can meet with a friend, conduct business, or just come sit for a while. And a place where they can  enjoy some delicious drinks and tasty treats.

Becca works at Proper Cup every Monday after school. She is thankful that she can earn money while doing what she loves, in a place that she loves. “My favorite thing about the shop is that it feels like a second home to me. It has the cozy feeling that my family envisioned, and I get to work with my brother and my dad sometimes. I also get to play the music I want to hear, and I am very passionate about music, so in a way it feels like I get to make it my own shop too.”

The Dipiazza family also contributes to the local community with their at-home day care in Brighton. The day care, Lil’ Critters, is ran by Holly Dipiazza, the oldest of the five Dipiazza kids. Holly is walking in her mom’s footsteps, who worked at a day care in Highland, Michigan for almost 8 years prior.

Becca spends the rest of her weekdays working after school at Lil’ Critters. Her favorite part of the job is getting to know the kids, and her favorite memory is when she was having a really bad week because she was comforted by a little girl who could tell that she was feeling sad. “The girl came over and hugged me, and told me it would be okay. Then, the other kids noticed and did the same thing. It was really sweet, and it reminded me of how lucky I am to have the day care in my life.”

Managing a day care center is a natural decision for anyone who has a true passion for childcare or a desire to own a business. For people like Becca, Holly, and their mom Janet, it is about loving children, helping them to learn, and encouraging their full potential.

“There are a lot of things required for owning an in-home that we have to keep up. It’s a lot of fun though, because we’re able to give the parents a family-like space for their kids. We love the kids and have a passion for all the work we do,” Janet says.

Starting a business is not for the faint of heart. It will bring sweat and tears, and in this case, a whole lot of children and caffeine. Yet there are still so many rewarding aspects to the endeavor. Despite challenges with finances, feeling overworked, feeling tired, and having many questions, there is a steadfast excitement that comes with the decision to start something new.

The Dipiazza family is passionate about what they have created, and they inspire almost everyone who meets them. They are full of life people, who put everyone else before themselves.

Becca’s best friend Cara Lamb, also a senior at MHS, describes their family as “inspiring for what they have accomplished.” She also states how she admires “how family oriented they are, how it shows when they are working together, and how it gives their coffee shop and day care even more charm.

Becca is proud of her family because they struggled with starting previous family businesses, but they persevered. “My family means so much to me, and I can’t remember a time that I couldn’t depend on them,” she says.

Their family shares many other hobbies including traveling to Disney World, singing, and song-writing. Becca loves to sing when Proper Cup hosts open-mic nights, and when she has time off of work she likes to record and write with her brothers. She has also performed with them at school and local events

Through everything that they have created, the Dipiazza family has truly made a difference in their community. And even though  Becca is the youngest child, and the last to graduate high school, she has left an incredible legacy at MHS and in the town Brighton.