Plaza Midwood is getting an I Love Juice Bar. The Nashville-based franchise will open early next year at Hawthorne and Central avenues, next to Pour Taproom.

Owner Diana Chiaravalloti found herself out of work in September, when the London-based company she worked for decided to pull out of the United States. The company made a coconut milk beverage that was simple, healthy, and delicious, and that drink inspired Chiaravalloti to eat better and more consciously. So when she found herself seeking a business where she could work for herself, Chiaravalloti looked into juice bars. She decided to open a franchise of I Love Juice Bar, which sells organic juices, smoothies, and vegan bowls, sandwiches, and salads.

“I really liked the concept, so I signed up,” she says.

Chiaravalloti and her business partner Lisa Brown are currently considering bids for a contractor, and already applied for construction permits. Once a contractor is decided on, they expect renovations to take about three months, putting the opening in late winter following corporate training. I Love Juice Bar is one of three expected retail tenants in the brick building, and the first to sign on. The juice bar will have 1,200 square feet, with bar seating and a patio out front. Chiaravalloti’s husband found the Plaza Midwood space.

“That market, that area’s just growing,” Chiaravalloti says. “All the great stores are there, there’s breweries there, we’re right next to Pour, great restaurants. There’s just a really great vibe, and I think there’s a lot of people in that area who would appreciate a juice bar.”

There are already several I Love Juice Bars in the Charlotte area, including one at Park Road Shopping Center, where I’ve done two juice cleanses. However, this is Chiaravalloti’s first franchise location.

“I should be planning for my retirement, not doing something crazy like this,” the 55-year-old says with a laugh.

She calls the move into restaurants and retail a leap of faith, but believes she’ll love going to work each day. She’s especially looking forward to meeting her Plaza Midwood neighbors, whom she encourages to pop in and say hello if they see her inside even before the juice bar opens. —Kristen Wile

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