In hopes of attracting newer customers and being convenient for clients on Jefferson City's west side, Love2Nourish has expanded beyond its East High Street location.
Owner Laurel Dunwoody opened her second Jefferson City Love2Nourish location inside Studio573 at Capital Mall, 3600 Country Club Drive, in July. Love2Nourish is also located at 700 E. High St.
About a month after opening the new Jefferson City location, Dunwoody opened the first Love2Nourish location in Columbia, at 501 Fay St. Suite 118.
The two new stores offer the same menu items as the East High Street store, Dunwoody said.
Love2Nourish has always been located on the east side of Jefferson City, Dunwoody said, but several customers live on the west side.
Studio573 owner Erin Bidlack used to operate a small smoothie bar inside the gym but decided not to pursue it this year. After learning this, Dunwoody approached Bidlack with the idea of opening a second Love2Nourish location.
Love2Nourish was already a regular sight at the gym, as Dunwoody used to stock a refrigerator there with the shop's food.
"It's really beneficial here because there are so many workouts and classes here," Dunwoody said. "Even before their workout, they'll tell the staff what kind of smoothie they want, so about five minutes before their workout ends, they'll start working on their smoothie and have it ready for when they get out. It's a very neat synergy here."
Customers on the west end who pre-order from Love2Nourish can pick up their food at the Studio573 location instead of driving to the East High Street location, she added.
Dunwoody already has plans to expand the Studio573 Love2Nourish to include a coffee bar, which she hopes to open Oct. 1.
Before opening the Jefferson City west end location, Dunwoody had already been exploring possible Columbia locations.
She used to meal prep for Evolved Personal Training - formerly Columbia Strength and Conditioning - before the gym moved. When Evolved relocated, Dunwoody opened the Columbia Love2Nourish location in the empty space.
"It's got our look and it's got our feel, so it was just like, 'This is it. This is where we're supposed to be,'" Dunwoody said.
The store hours for all three locations can be found at love2nourish.com/about.
Since opening Love2Nourish in September 2015, Dunwoody said, she feels "fortunate and blessed" the store has expanded to now three locations.
"A lot of different people have helped me get to this point, and I appreciate every single one of them, both customers and staff," she said. "I'm just enjoying getting food to as many people as I can."
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