Start the new year off right at Tacoma’s newest juice bar

Marquita Evans welcomed 2020 the way she begins every new year — not with a resolution but a single word.

“It started at home, with us being intentional,” she said.

Personal adjustments to daily food choices and lifestyle decisions led to an obsession of sorts with a Breville juicer. As Evans and her partner Lionel Stenson explored the potential benefits of ginger in easing digestion or reducing inflammation, of chia seeds billowing with fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, they developed the foundation of their first business together.

The result: Intentions Juice & Smoothie Bar, opened in October at 5236 South Tacoma Way, with fresh juice, drinkable smoothies, smoothie bowls to order and more grab-and-go food options on the way.

“I need to reset. I need some clarity. It’s kind of all the feels you can have,” Evans said, explaining their approach to the menu of house juices.

The Clarity, a deep magenta hue, blends beets with carrots, apple, lemon and ginger. The Reset “green juice” combines spinach, celery and cucumber with lemon, apple and ginger. Need a kick? Try the Healthy Intentions, a sunny marriage of apple and pineapple with lemon, ginger and cayenne.

Because every juice ($5 for a 12-ounce cup, $7 for a 16-ounce) is made to order, customers also can create their own “Sweet Intentions,” as this choice is listed on the menu. Choose up to three ingredients, or add as many as your taste buds desire for an extra $0.75 each.

Dietary restrictions are straightforward here. Juices are naturally vegan and gluten-free. She also tries to buy organic produce wherever possible.

Fiery Intentions smoothies are another made-to-order specialty ($5 for a 12-ounce, $7 for a 16-ounce). Concoct your own or try one of three house creations with banana as the base: strawberry with apple juice; orange, carrot and ginger with almond milk; mango, pineapple and orange juice. For an extra nutritional boost, each includes either chia seeds or hemp hearts.

Smoothie bowls ($8) offer a more filling meal, with toppings like puffed rice cereal, sunflower seeds, blackberries, almonds and honey.

FRESH JUICE IN SOUTH TACOMA

Evans wants the endless flavor possibilities and the space itself to be “functional,” whether for a quick pick-me-up or, when permitted, for families to relax — an important element of the business for her as a new mother. She and Stenson welcomed a daughter in November, just one month after opening the cafe.

A bench in the front window doubles as a toy chest, across from a couch to form a lounge area. Eventually, Evans wants to host book readings for kids and feature local artists’ work on the walls.

“I wanted people to come here and sit down and feel welcome,” she said, adding that she embraced some much-needed advice from fellow entrepreneurs Whitni and Quincy Henry of Campfire Coffee. They have three young children and have thrived through the advent of their company and opening of their storefront last year.

Intentions now pours Campfire Coffee in store, both hot drip and cold-brew.

“I love being here,” said Evans, a surgical tech by trade who also has run a nanny business for about a decade. “It’s what I need!”

A Seattle native, she and Stenson have lived in Tacoma, on the Eastside, for about six years. They embarked on this journey via The Main Ingredient, the pizzeria that last summer replaced Stonegate across the street. Owner Leland Brechbiel, whom Evans worked with at a King County hospital, was considering adding a cafe to his adjacent storefront. In the interim, Beyond ThunderDome Cafe opened with New York deli sandwiches and Manifesto coffee and espresso. So Evans and Stenson discussed nearby options with Theory Real Estate, which owns several properties along this stretch and introduced them to a project manager who helped navigate permitting.

What is now Intentions was once a Subway. It’s a sizable space, with room to grow. A $75 three-day juice cleanse is available now, and Evans is in the midst of developing a bulk-ordering system to stock up on juice in a single trip, and designing smoothie kits of fresh-cut produce prepped for at-home blending.

“Once we opened Intentions, it gave us a sense of community,” said Evans. Tacoma, especially South Tacoma she noted, has an authenticity about it she adores. “Now this is our community. It’s so nice to be a part of something like that.”

Her word for 2021, by the way, is “becoming.”

INTENTIONS JUICE & SMOOTHIE BAR

▪ 5236 South Tacoma Way, 253-301-4890, intentionsjuicebar.com

▪ Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

▪ Details: juice and smoothies $5-7, smoothie bowls $8; coffee, soup, bagels and other grab-and-go food also available

*Editor’s Note, February 2022: Lionel Stenson is no longer associated with the business. The Main Ingredient Pizzeria closed in 2021.

This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.