A “Wet Paint” sign is taped to the doorknob that opens the door to a new abode that also marks a new chapter for Franks House of Rock.

Franks was forced out of its previous location – an old movie theater in Southridge Mall – in July when Sears bought out the space. Two and a half months later, Franks is preparing to open its doors in a new location next to JC Penney. This weekend will be an open house event, followed by the first show at the new location.

For nine years this space has been a mall storage room. A black vendor cart and about five oversized blue flower pots are the only remnants left behind. But the mall storage room-turned-rock venue is a gain of 7,000 square feet from Franks’ old location, giving employees a chance to explore a new vision for the community venue.

At first appearance, it looks nowhere near completion. Tools lie on the cement floor, tangled in a mess of orange extension cords. Paint on a few of the walls – a sporadic placement of teal, red, burnt orange and dark gray – remains unfinished. Wooden skating elements have been placed in the center of the floor amidst an array of speakers.

“It will always be a work in progress,” says Greg TeSelle, known by many as Frank Rock. “We’re not about the money. We’re not about the building. We’re about the people.”

A new chapter

“There’s no sign out front,” says TeSelle, founder and director of Franks. “There never will be.”

Instead, there’s no indication a venue exists behind the all-white wall the venue shares with the mall. The glass on the doors facing the parking lot is covered in black paint. The unsuspecting eye would have no idea of the elaborate community that exists behind these closed doors.

And with more square feet comes a chance to incorporate new ideas.

“It will be different,” TeSelle says. “We’re relying on the people that will come and dream with us.”

The possibilities are boundless. Many new elements have already been proposed that will give people more options than ever to get involved.

“The new Franks will have a much different vibe than the old Franks,” TeSelle says. Eventually, an anime-style cartoonist will come in and paint a room that will house a computer lab. TeSelle would like to bring in people to teach classes on designing for the Web, sound engineering and lighting – a “school kids actually want to learn from,” TeSelle explains.

The stage that used to be in a separate room now has a central location. The stage is now thicker, the ceilings are now lower and concert-goers will now be able to stand on three sides of the stage. There is also a smaller room that can hold about 75 to 100 people for a smaller, more intimate show.

The band that has played Franks most frequently – Ames’ 38th Parallel – is happy to see Franks back in business.

“We love the venue,” says Aaron Nordyke, drummer for 38th Parallel. “We didn’t realize how spoiled we are until we played other venues. [Franks is] really hospitable.”

Besides a new stage setup, there are also plans for body piercers and tattoo artists to come in some nights and take appointments – something Franks has never tried before.

This large open room that houses the stage will eventually accommodate skating elements on certain nights. When no shows are scheduled, the wooden elements can be placed throughout the venue for use by skateboarders and inline skaters.

“Maybe someday we’ll have a restaurant,” contemplates TeSelle as his eyes scans the room.

Pat Boberg, guitarist for 8 miles out, has played several shows at Franks.

“With their expansion there’s going to be even more space,” Boberg says. “I think it’s really ambitious. If it worked it would be the biggest thing for the music scene in Des Moines.”

Fostering a family

“I think the best part about Franks, different from other venues in the area, is that kids just hang out there,” says Boberg, freshman in pre-journalism and mass communication. “You don’t even have to listen to the music.”

For many kids in the Des Moines area, Franks is their second home – the place they go to for support in their lives. Although Franks doesn’t have a formal mission statement, the focus has always been on building relationships.

“A lot of the people that come here are coming from split homes or abusive situations and this is kind of the escape from that,” TeSelle says. “Franks desires to provide every need that a teenager and their families would ever need, from emotional needs to physical needs to spiritual needs.

“They’re just really open and loving people there,” Nordyke says. “It’s just a welcoming environment.”

TeSelle and the Franks employees have built a community with relationships as the main focus, and they have the numbers to prove it.

TeSelle is also the pastor of Student Ministries at Point of Grace Church in Des Moines. The 31-year-old, with a spiky head of yellow-tinted bleach blond hair, looks more like a punk than a pastor. Perhaps that helps foster the friendships he shares with high school- and college-age kids alike.

Every day, TeSelle receives 235 e-mails. He has 300 people’s screen names from Franks on his Instant Messager. If 700 people show up for a show at Franks, TeSelle receives 500 hugs. Every year he is sent 40 to 50 Father’s Day cards.

“I think that’s the saddest thing in the world – that I’m the closest thing to a father,” TeSelle says. “So in terms of helping kids out that way, we provide families.”

So what’s so appealing about TeSelle, also known as Frank Rock?

“He’s a real person. There’s no hidden agenda. He is who he is,” Nordyke says.

Frequent Franks activities include playing broomball, Fear Factor (a play on the TV show) and food fights – the last one involving 80 pounds of raw fish. A couple hundred kids showed up for the battle, and then helped clean up afterwards – a two- to three-hour task.

“I just tell them to show up, not wear anything nice and get ready to fight,” TeSelle says as he spins the cap from his bottle of water on the table in front of him.

Despite a promise of family and friendship, Franks also offers plenty of philanthropic pursuits.

“We have a team of people that go out every week that feed homeless people in Des Moines,” TeSelle says.

One of the offices in the new location is dedicated for clothing donations to give to the homeless during colder months.

Despite any outward changes Franks might undertake, the underlying goal remains the same, guaranteed.

“The minute we stop caring about people we’ll close our doors,” TeSelle says. “That’s a promise.”