Grand Opening: We Got The Juice @ Broadway Arts
KINGSTON, N.Y. — We Got The Juice @ Broadway Arts celebrated the grand opening of it’s juice bar this past Thursday. The event embodied the talent of the community featuring local music, art, and of course — lots of juice.
“We needed a juice bar in Kingston. One, because it promotes eating and drinking healthy, but also because it’s a social place. People are comfortable coming here, there’s no judgment,” said local Kingston resident and customer, Devon.
Beginning with just the art gallery, Broadway Arts, owners Liz Baker and Joseph La Lima put a lot of thought into the addition of the juice bar. Baker said she herself is guilty of bad eating habits, so they wanted to provide healthy options for both her family and the community.
La Lima echoed his wife and added that the decision was really more based around passion than it was business.
“The juice was a no brainer. We could’ve had alcohol here, many other routes here, but we wanted put back something good into the community. What better way than through art, food, and to use the space to educate people,” said La Lima.
Customers at the opening event raved about the good energy you feel when you enter the gallery. It is this welcoming atmosphere and community feel that they say makes We Got The Juice stand out.
“To combine such two similar entities, I mean health and art, why not? And its local artists too so they get a chance to display their stuff in here and get recognition. They’re doing that for the artists out here and giving them a name and a place to represent themselves. You can’t get any better than that,” said Anastasia Saunders, a resident of Kingston.
Showcasing local art has always been important to La Lima and Baker. Baker says there is a lot of hidden talent in Kingston that doesn’t get enough recognition. “From street art to fine art, we like to support our local artists. There are a lot of creatives in this community and they don’t have an outlet — so we got the juice for them”.
One of the artists, whose work was featured at the opening event, is a 14-year-old resident of Kingston, Tafari Saunders. La Lima refers to him as a prodigy. Saunder’s mother, Ebony Hebrington, says she is very proud of her son.
“When he started I didn’t know he was going to make it this far until Liz put his work on display and everybody knows who he is now. It's very eye-opening to have a place for the young and old to come out and enjoy themselves,” said Hebrington.
The event also featured live music from a local band called Ramona Lane, keeping with the local creativity. One of the members, Jordan, said they have been performing in the area for about 5 to 6 years and have seen the journey of Broadway Arts from the beginning. “The community vibe is great, there’s such a mix of people who come here and get to enjoy the space together,” said Jordan.
Apart from the art and live music events, another element that makes the We Got The Juice @ Broadway Arts unique is its kids' room. Baker says kids are everything, so they wanted to add an element that makes them feel welcome in their store too. One of the customers, Avana, commented on how it's one of her favorite things about the juice bar.
“I love the feel of the creativity, the artwork, and the stress-free environment. And the fact that if you bring your kids here, they have a whole section for them. You can just chill and relax and mingle with the adults and the children have a whole playground in the back,” said Avana. Happy kids equals happy adults.
As humble as could be, La Lima and Baker said they can’t take the credit for the welcoming atmosphere of their gallery. For them it is the local talent and people who make it great — they just provide the place to show it.
“There’s something different with this space. I hate to use this because it’s kind of a cliche thing for a business but we’re a judgment free zone. That's that whole street art to fine art, we’re not putting a label on it. You can come in here with your street clothes or a suit, it doesn’t matter. Everybody feels comfortable and you don’t get that in every gallery,” said La Lima.
Now open Tuesday through Sunday, more about We Got the Juice @ Broadway Arts can be found on their Facebook page and Instagram.
