TACOMA, Wash. — On a Monday morning customers are lining up at Intentions Juice and Smoothie Bar for something to wake them up. One of Marquita Evans's wellness shots.
"It's the Monday blues," Evans said looking over the tired crowd. "The first thing I do is say, 'Take a shot. Have a shot on me.' But this time it's a healthy shot."
"It's good!" said one of the customers. "It's waking me up right now."
The secret ingredient might be the ginger.
"Ginger gives you that natural perk up," Evans said.
Intentions, located on South Tacoma Way, is just one of the pandemic babies belonging to Evans.
"The word for 2020 was 'Intentions,'" Evans said. "And everyone hated it but I felt like it was perfect for what we were doing here."
It took a lot of intention to persevere through the pandemic.
"We set these goals, but we need to set intentions to follow through on them," she said.
Her other pandemic baby is Isabella, a cute and very active two year old who demands attention. By all rights, Marquita Evans should look exhausted. Instead she's the best advertisement for juicing anyone could imagine.
Evans said a shot of Clarity does the trick.
"We're getting our beets, our carrots, our ginger, lemon, and apple," she said. "It's the perfect blend, where you're able to support your immune system and your health, your heart health, and all of that in one drink."
While juicing doesn't make up for an unhealthy diet, it can be a quick way to give your body a healthy boost. Especially if you're vitamin deficient.
"You can change that by adding different fruits and vegetables into your diet," Evans said. "Here, you can get them all in one drink, which makes it a lot easier to consume especially when it tastes good."
"It's like it just wakes up your taste buds," Mike Ford said. "That first drink starts the day off right"
Isabella loves her mom's juices.
"How many kids do you know who are getting their fruits and vegetables in happily?" Evans asked.
Customers can also order a smoothie bowl. The most popular is topped with granola, nuts, and honey.
"Everyone is in love with our peach orange and berry bowl," she said.
They do taste like the perfect way to start a day filled with good intentions.
In June of 2023, Evans plans to open a new juice bar in Seattle's Yessler Terrace neighborhood where she grew up.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.