Juice and salad bar plans opening in downtown Carson City

A juice and salad bar is coming soon to downtown Carson City.

So Juicy is set to open in a month at 208 N. Carson St., between Musser and Proctor streets.

The new business will offer a dozen mixed juices plus seasonal specials, as well as nine flavors of smoothies, some potent health shots, and a salad bar with chicken, tuna, and tofu for protein, and vegan dressing options.

Also on the menu will be several types of Muesli for breakfast, an ice cream-like acai bowl, and possibly pulpsicles made from the pulp produced by the juicing process.

“I made them all summer long for my girls and they loved them,” said Kacie DeKruse.

So Juicy is a venture for DeKruse and Shalyn Lewallen, two Douglas County residents and friends.

The pair is focusing on the positive impact of their fare. Each juice, for example, is labeled with its ingredients and its health benefits, whether it’s to aid in digestion, increase energy or help you lose weight.

“We want to educate people on our products,” said DeKruse. “We want to help people.”

The business will also offer packaged-juice cleanses for various health benefits.

And none of the offerings will use sugar, instead relying on fruit, especially dates, for sweetness.

“Sugar is not allowed in our building,” said DeKruse.

DeKruse and Lewallen started working on So Juicy a year ago. Both helped DeKruse’s husband, Bryan, take care of his late wife after she was diagnosed with brain cancer. After undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, Andrea’s physician suggested a raw diet for her.

“He was spending hours doing juices,” said DeKruse. “It took so much time and we wished we had somewhere to go to buy them for him.”

Last year, DeKruse and Lewallen attended a conference put on by Goodnature, the manufacturer of their commercial cold-press juicer, and started coming up with recipes for juices and cleanses.

Soon, they were looking for a location to launch their business, hoping to land on Topsy Lane. Then their real estate broker found the 1,450-square-foot space in the heart of downtown Carson City, and they knew it was ideal.

The partners are still working on the website — sojuicyjuice.com — and customers will be able to order online there once it launches and take out or eat in.

The partners are shooting to open So Juicy on May 1, and are planning to operate 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.