ASHLAND – Business is booming of the east side of Ashland, where Ashland Commons is filling up fast.
The latest addition, a Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar franchise, opened Tuesday with little fanfare but is already drawing crowds.
“It’s been above and beyond our expectations. It’s been awesome,” said Justin Daubenmire, who owns the franchise with his business partner, Jason Friedt. “Customers have been awesome and our staff has produced extremely well for us. We couldn’t really be happier.”
Daubenmire said the Ashland Pulp store currently has about 18 employees.
“We expect that to fluctuate a little bit up and down,” Daubenmire said. “We understand that we’re a fast-paced environment, and that’s a lot to ask of anybody. So we understand that we’ll lose some people and we’ll gain some more, but we’ll probably always stay around that teens number.”
The Pulp brand started in Kent and now has about 20 locations. The Ashland store is the first for Daubenmire and Friedt, who are from the Wadsworth and Rittman areas.
Daubennmire explained that the choice of brand came first and the location came second.
“We knew we wanted to get into business with Pulp because it’s growing and it’s such an incredible brand,” Daubenmire said. “It’s everything you would want in something to bring to your town, and Jason and I are both small-town guys. We really wanted to bring value to a community.”
Daubenmire said he appreciates that Pulp smoothies offer a healthy meal alternative and that the brand has a fast-paced and fun vibe.
As they made plans to open a Pulp, Daubenmire said, the franchisees were approached by the developers of Ashland Commons, the new plaza in front of Walmart at U.S. 250 and Commerce Parkway that now boasts a Chipotle, a Kay Jewelers, a Sprint and a Pet Valu. Just one storefront remains in the existing inline plaza, but the developer also has pad sites available nearby for freestanding businesses.
“We really saw a need because the community of Ashland didn’t have anything like this, but they had the desire for it,” Daubenmire said. “We talked to a lot of people in Ashland and everyone was really excited about it. There’s a Pulp in Wooster that a lot of people have been to and are excited about the brand there.”
Pulp’s menu features fresh squeezed juices and fruit smoothies that can be ordered plain or with various health supplements for prices ranging from about $5 for a small strawberry banana smoothie to about $8 for a large “Kale KA-POW.” The store also sells wraps, salads and energy bowls.
“Stop in an give us a try,” Daubenmire said. “Our biggest thing is we don’t want to be that juice and smoothie bar that’s intimidating to people, like ‘Oh, I’m not a health nut so I can’t go in there.’ I have a smoothie for everybody.”
