Saadia Yasmin and her husband Morteza Farajian will manage Saadia’s Juicebox, which is set to open in early December. (Courtesy Saadia Yasmin)
Following their recent purchase of a pair of storefronts in Jackson Ward and downtown, a local couple’s plans for the properties are beginning to bear fruit.
Saadia Yasmin and her husband Morteza Farajian plan to open Saadia’s Juicebox and Yoga Bar in about 1,400 square feet of space on the ground level at 402½ N. Second St. The juice bar will be located next door to Lucy’s Restaurant in Jackson Ward.
A second Saadia’s Juicebox location is set to open in about 6,000 square feet of space at 7 E. Cary St. in 2017, although the couple is still determining how best to outfit that space with more holistic health options, as well as the juice bar concept.
Saadia’s Juicebox location in Jackson Ward is set to open in early December, with a soft opening targeted for late November.
“We’re hoping to have some detox drink options for people to sample after Thanksgiving,” Yasmin said. “I figured that would be a great way to introduce ourselves to the community.”
Yasmin said the shops will serve fresh juice with some ingredients sourced from area farms, and plans to integrate a number of organic products and spices in their drinks and smoothies.
The location will also serve up coffee from Richmond-based Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Company, as well as lattes and teas. A salad bar will also be incorporated into the space.
Work continues on Saadia’s Juicebox and Yoga Bar at 402½ N. Second St. in Jackson Ward. (J. Elias O’Neal)
The drink and salad options are set to change, keeping the menu appealing to customers, Yasmin said.
“I want to provide healthy, holistic concepts,” Yasmin said. “The goal is to also introduce some seasonal options like watermelon, cranberries and pumpkin to our drinks and salad bar.”
A yoga studio is also being created in the space, which Yasmin plans to outsource to local instructors needing a place for their classes.
“This is going to be a partnership,” Yasmin said. “I want people to come in for yoga classes, and as they leave, we can provide them with a healthy drink option.”
The couple purchased the North Second Street building, constructed in 1910, from Jackson Ward developer Ron Stallings this summer for $168,000. The property is being gutted to make way for the juice bar, and designed by Richmond-based contractors and designers Three Miles Design.
So far, the couple has invested about $80,000 of their own capital into the 1,400-square-foot space, and is also renovating the upstairs unit to rent out as a two-bedroom apartment.
They purchased the Cary Street location, which once housed local printing company Keith Fabry, for $412,500 this summer, according to city records. Keith Fabry has since relocated to the Manchester neighborhood.
Opening and establishing Saadia’s Juicebox goes completely against the norm for the couple.
The daughter of a Pushtun American diplomat, Yasmin was born in Qatar but raised in Greece, worked in Washington, D.C., as an advocate for women’s rights in the Middle East, and exhibited her artwork at galleries that advocated for similar causes.
She would later meet Farajian, who was pursuing his doctorate at the University of Maryland and now serves as the program manager for the Virginia Office of Public-Private Partnerships. The couple later married and moved to Richmond in late 2013.
Yasmin admitted it was hard warming up to the city, but a stroll in Jackson Ward changed that.
“There is so much potential,” Yasmin said. “I just fell in love with the area, and knew this was where I wanted to be.”
For Yasmin, opening the juice bar is a fulfillment of her dream.
“This is something that I wanted to do since I was a little girl,” she said. “It’s just amazing how quickly everything is coming together.”
Saadia Yasmin and her husband Morteza Farajian will manage Saadia’s Juicebox, which is set to open in early December. (Courtesy Saadia Yasmin)
Following their recent purchase of a pair of storefronts in Jackson Ward and downtown, a local couple’s plans for the properties are beginning to bear fruit.
Saadia Yasmin and her husband Morteza Farajian plan to open Saadia’s Juicebox and Yoga Bar in about 1,400 square feet of space on the ground level at 402½ N. Second St. The juice bar will be located next door to Lucy’s Restaurant in Jackson Ward.
A second Saadia’s Juicebox location is set to open in about 6,000 square feet of space at 7 E. Cary St. in 2017, although the couple is still determining how best to outfit that space with more holistic health options, as well as the juice bar concept.
Saadia’s Juicebox location in Jackson Ward is set to open in early December, with a soft opening targeted for late November.
“We’re hoping to have some detox drink options for people to sample after Thanksgiving,” Yasmin said. “I figured that would be a great way to introduce ourselves to the community.”
Yasmin said the shops will serve fresh juice with some ingredients sourced from area farms, and plans to integrate a number of organic products and spices in their drinks and smoothies.
The location will also serve up coffee from Richmond-based Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Company, as well as lattes and teas. A salad bar will also be incorporated into the space.
Work continues on Saadia’s Juicebox and Yoga Bar at 402½ N. Second St. in Jackson Ward. (J. Elias O’Neal)
The drink and salad options are set to change, keeping the menu appealing to customers, Yasmin said.
“I want to provide healthy, holistic concepts,” Yasmin said. “The goal is to also introduce some seasonal options like watermelon, cranberries and pumpkin to our drinks and salad bar.”
A yoga studio is also being created in the space, which Yasmin plans to outsource to local instructors needing a place for their classes.
“This is going to be a partnership,” Yasmin said. “I want people to come in for yoga classes, and as they leave, we can provide them with a healthy drink option.”
The couple purchased the North Second Street building, constructed in 1910, from Jackson Ward developer Ron Stallings this summer for $168,000. The property is being gutted to make way for the juice bar, and designed by Richmond-based contractors and designers Three Miles Design.
So far, the couple has invested about $80,000 of their own capital into the 1,400-square-foot space, and is also renovating the upstairs unit to rent out as a two-bedroom apartment.
They purchased the Cary Street location, which once housed local printing company Keith Fabry, for $412,500 this summer, according to city records. Keith Fabry has since relocated to the Manchester neighborhood.
Opening and establishing Saadia’s Juicebox goes completely against the norm for the couple.
The daughter of a Pushtun American diplomat, Yasmin was born in Qatar but raised in Greece, worked in Washington, D.C., as an advocate for women’s rights in the Middle East, and exhibited her artwork at galleries that advocated for similar causes.
She would later meet Farajian, who was pursuing his doctorate at the University of Maryland and now serves as the program manager for the Virginia Office of Public-Private Partnerships. The couple later married and moved to Richmond in late 2013.
Yasmin admitted it was hard warming up to the city, but a stroll in Jackson Ward changed that.
“There is so much potential,” Yasmin said. “I just fell in love with the area, and knew this was where I wanted to be.”
For Yasmin, opening the juice bar is a fulfillment of her dream.
“This is something that I wanted to do since I was a little girl,” she said. “It’s just amazing how quickly everything is coming together.”