Short North business owner Nicole Salvo is one of those people everyone else tries and fails to be.
She does yoga, snacks on flax, and uses the word “superfood.” She’s well-traveled and goal-oriented, and she’s got a like-minded friend and business partner helping to make her dream come true: make raw, healthy food as available in Columbus as it is in LA.
After taking some time to travel around Southeast Asia and California, Salvo returned disenchanted. All the options open to her on the road made those in her hometown seem sparse and substandard. At a yoga event she started talking to Erin Thacker, who turned out to have the same idea and a similar style.
Rather than working on separate ventures, the two started on their shared vision with the opening of Native Cold Pressed in the Short North in February of 2014. At the end of this year they’ll have another location in Bexley, and more are in the plans after that.
“We really branded and put the whole concept together really cohesively,” Salvo said. “It wasn’t hard, because we didn’t have two different ideas coming together. We had very similar visions for the brand.”
The juice and smoothie shop’s new location aligns with the duo’s focus on holistic health. Partnering with Snap Fitness, the two businesses will coexist in the 5,000 square foot space at 2408 East Main Street. Snap franchise owner Tony Capuano, looking to take Snap in a different direction from the others, added group fitness classes, including yoga, and turned to Salvo and Thacker for a built-in juice bar to occupy 500 square feet of the building.
“That really goes well with our brand, because we have a strong tie with yoga, and we offer yoga classes as well a couple times a month,” Salvo said. “It’s going to be a very strongly community-based space, so we’re really excited.”
The build-out is in the works, Salvo said. They’re moving quickly, though, and they look forward to a lot of natural light from the garage doors planned for the space. Native’s portion of the building will employ six people and hold 20 seats. Once construction is finished, Salvo and Thacker are going to leave the original Native mostly in the hands of their team members and focus on the location in Bexley and the others to come.
The new locations will have the same menu found in the Short North. They started with cold pressed juices and later added superfood smoothies, bowls and “healthy bites” — salads and protein balls.
“Juice was the first love, and that’s what really heals both of us in big ways,” Salvo said. “It’s a good that’s brought us together.”
No opening date was specified, but Salvo said Bexley’s Native Cold Pressed will open in December. Locations for future Native stores have yet to be released.
For more information, visit www.nativecoldpressed.com.