A new Black-, woman-owned juice bar is opening soon in downtown Grand Rapids.
Local entrepreneur Shardaira Jones, a certified nutritionist, plans to launch Rev: Road to Revitalize Luxury Juice Bar at the Ledyard Building at 125 Ottawa Ave. NW by the first of the new year. Rev will offer a range of cold-pressed juices served as individually packaged drinks and as cleanses.
The company currently sells four 16-ounce juice brands, all of which are made with 100% organic fruits and vegetables. For example, Rev’s Green Royalty is a spinach and kale-based drink with lemon, green apple, celery and ginger.
Jones, the founder and CEO of Road to Revitalize LLC, originally operated the MakeQueen Fitness Studio and has since shifted her focus to nutrition, which she views as another aspect of fitness.
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“I started out a while back wanting to tackle health and nutrition as a whole,” Jones said. “So what I did was open a fitness studio where I also offered nutritional aspects, cold-pressed juice being one.”
MakeQueen helped Jones focus her passion for health and nutrition. As a certified personal trainer and certified nutritionist, Jones connected with juice-making as a way to balance her entrepreneurship and desire to help others achieve a healthier lifestyle.
In 2021, she launched Rev: Road to Revitalize, which has operated mainly as a pop-up shop at fitness and wellness events in the Grand Rapids area. The business, which Jones operates alongside a silent partner, also offers local shipping and pickup and delivery for online orders.
However, Jones said her goal has always been to open a brick-and-mortar shop and build a new brand of juice bar in Grand Rapids, one that doesn’t sacrifice glamor for health and nutrition.
The nearly 900-square-foot shop will focus on celebrating fruits and vegetables with elevated style. Jones said Rev will feature a selfie wall for photos, and upscale marble countertops augmented by gold accents.
“A lot of juice bars look like a hangout spot for teenagers,” Jones said.
In addition to her nutrition-based background, Jones also had some local connections to help her get her start. She’s a longtime friend of Jermale and Anissa Eddie, co-founders and owners of the recently-closed Malamiah Juice Bar and Eatery.
“They’re neighbors of my grandmother,” she added.
For 10 years, the Eddies operated Malamiah, which announced its sudden closure in June after struggling to bounce back post-pandemic. The juice company had two Grand Rapids locations, one in downtown Studio Park and another in the David A. Hunting YMCA, in addition to its wholesale juice sales, Malamiah Juice Co.
“Jermale’s been able to take some of his wealth of knowledge and pour it into not just me as a business owner, but just me as an individual as well,” Jones said, adding that she anticipates carrying on the torch for him as another Black-led juice business downtown.
As she plans to open her first location, Jones is already eyeing her next venture and planning the next chapter for Rev. She’s in the final stages of putting her product on store shelves, and is hoping to offer some franchise opportunities over time.
Jones also purchased five acres of land outside Grand Rapids where she intends to grow her own produce to use at the juice bar. Additionally, her goal is to use the land to help local communities in need access fresh produce and grow food.
“We also want to make a space available for families who don’t have a lot of room available to be able to (grow) their own fruits and vegetables to have a small part of that five acres,” she said. “That’s a big piece of it: Making that space available and creating dignity and pride in families. That’s important for Revitalize.
“It’s a big initiative and it’s a big goal, but we are more than excited about what that may look like. There’s so many unfinished pieces, but we are doing the groundwork right now.”
Jones has yet to determine whether that educational component will take shape as a nonprofit wing of the business, but she hopes someday to partner with businesses and schools to teach families and students the importance of nutrition.
“The road that I’m on is to educate and inform people,” she said.
Currently, Jones is focusing her efforts on getting the juice bar open for business. That includes some small additions like new countertops, trim and light fixtures to help the space fit Jones’ vision.
Grand Rapids-based New Phase Construction is serving as general contractor for the project, while Rockford-based JS Design Group LLC is the architect.
“This is one of the projects that I’ve been most passionate about because I see the bigger picture,” Jones said. “It’s going to be something that’s a part of my legacy and a part of not just revitalizing the community, but teaching how one small idea on an old laptop can revitalize my own family and pour into other families.”
While Jones has not set an opening date for the juice bar, she aims to have it open by Jan. 1.
More from Crain’s Grand Rapids Business:
Michigan’s Adventure owner and Six Flags to merge amusement park companies
Senior care provider Care Resources developing new center in Lowell
Tribally owned investment firm aims to build on 5 years of growth
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