12 Jamaica juice bar eyes expansion to airports
QUEENS WEEKLY, DEC. 16, 2018
BY NAEISHA ROSE
The Nourish Spot, an
all-natural juice bar and
salad joint in Jamaica, has
not only expanded its offerings
since its opening
more than a year ago, but
will also extend its reach,
according to its owner
Dawn Kelly.
On Nov. 30, the juice
bar was certified as a Minority
and Women-owned
Business Enterprise and
in June was certified as an
Airport Concession Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise
and a Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise by the
Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey, according
to Kelly.
“I’m ecstatic,” said
Kelly. “It means that we
are now able to do work
with the city of New York
entities like schools,
businesses, and libraries
— the MWBE certification
means that we are
able to open up to wider
avenues for new clientele
and increase profit.”
Kelly said she will
reach out to Resorts World
Casino New York City and
Jamaica’s Central Library
— which has a food hub —
about selling her items,
which now also includes
customizable wraps for $7
to $9 and soups that cost
$3.75 to $5.75 at the store,
located at 107-05 Guy
Brewer Blvd.
“We had two sizes of
soup last winter, but now
we have three because men
were telling us our cups
were too small,” said Kelly,
who started adding the new
items February.
Now that she is certified
by PANYNJ, she can expect
to have a concession at one
or more of the airports and
railway stations that they
work with, including Newark
Airport and the redeveloping
LaGuardia and
John F. Kennedy airports
in Queens.
“We can show up one
day at an area airport or
train station near you,”
said Kelly.
The entrepreneur is also
in the process of speaking
with the Jamaica Center
Business Improvement
District in hopes of opening
up a booth at Jamaica
Coliseum with the help of
her children Jade Duncan
and Owen Duncan, who
helps her run the store.
Not only will she benefit
from the new business opportunities,
but so will the
kids from local area high
schools, according to Kelly.
“We give them vocational
training here,”
said Kelly.
Kelly credits her continued
success to Lisa Ennis,
a client manager at the
NYC Department of Small
Business Services, which
helped her to get certified
and offers free resources
for new entrepreneurs. She
also thanked Brendez Wineglass,
a project manager
from Small Business Services
who managed a twoday
boot technology boot
camp for restaurateurs in
Downtown Jamaica called
ResTech in October.
The boot camp taught
several business owners
how to utilize technology
to optimize their workflow
and improve their customer
service, and the entrepreneurs
also got free photos
to showcase their firms
and their offerings.
“We can’t wait for 2019!”
said Kelly.
Reach reporter Naeisha
Rose by e-mail at nrose@
cnglocal.com or by phone at
(718) 260–4573.
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A free transportation
option for Queens seniors is
set to return.
City Councilmen Paul
Vallone and Peter Koo
joined together in Bayside
Dec. 5 to announce the return
and expansion of the
popular transportation program,
which will be provided
by Selfhelp Community
Services and Four Twos
Private Car Service. The
program is slated to begin
Monday, Dec. 10, and will
be focused on providing seniors
rides to their medical
appointments.
Vallone and City Council
Speaker Corey Johnson
allocated a total of $130,000
to fund the program. The
councilman allocated
$80,000 for seniors living
in his northeast Queens
district while Johnson secured
another $50,00 at the
request of the City Council’s
Queens Delegation to
provide expanded services
to seniors across the entire
borough of Queens.
“Seniors in our city,
many of who live on fixed
incomes, are already faced
with enough hardships
such as rising property
taxes, costs of living and
stagnant funding for critical
services. The last thing
they should have to worry
about is how they’re going
to get to the doctor,” said
Vallone. “This program
has proven to provide our
seniors with an alternative
transportation option they
need and deserve.”
Vallone said that when
the program was first
launched three years ago,
he hoped that services
would be expanded for all of
Queens.
“We must never take for
granted how complicated it
can be for senior citizens to
get around the city. Simple
trips to the doctor can become
day-long excursions
requiring precise planning
and hours of waiting,” said
Koo. “Expanding the Free
Transportation Program
throughout Queens is a simple
transportation improvement
that will go a long way
toward improving the quality
of life of our seniors.”
Those who use the service
will need to fill out
a basic application with
demographic information
and an emergency contact.
To make an appointment,
seniors can call the
Clearview Senior Center
at (718) 224-7888 between
the hours of 9 a.m. and
12 p.m. to schedule their
next-day rides.
Service users must provide
their name, address,
phone number, time of pick
up and their destination.
When ready for pickup, the
senior will call for their return
trip.
Queens seniors who
were at the press conference,
including Bayside resident
Ida Joseph, expressed
appreciation for the alternative
transportation service.
“It’s wonderful that
Council Member Vallone
is thinking of the seniors.
We may be living longer
but it is not easy for us to
get around,” said Joseph.
“I and the rest of the seniors
really appreciate
this program.”
The Nourish Spot in Jamaica. Photo via Google Maps
Queens seniors to receive free rides for medical visits
City Councilman Paul Vallone speaks at a Dec. 5 press conference in Bayside.
Courtesy of Vallone’s office