Lori Carter, owner of Juice-C-Juice Books & More, cuts ribbon to her newly expanded store in Carson, CA. City officials Councilwoman Lula Davis-Holmes, Mayor Jim Dear and Councilmember Mike Gipson join in.(Photo by Charlene Muhammad for Sentinel)
Doing for self and others: Lori Carter’s Juice-C-Juice Books & More serves up fresh juices and wholesome food during grand re-opening
Before family, friends, political leaders, and long-time patrons, Lori Carter opened doors to her newly renovated and expanded Juice-C-Juice Books & More on September 15.
The smell of fresh fruits and vegetables, plus the bright smiles of a young, energetic staff welcomed guests to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Formerly called Juice-C-Juice/Smiley’s Books, Juice-C-Juice Books & More, moved just half-a-mile south from her old on Del Amo and Avalon Boulevards to 940 Dominguez Street, Suite K.
“Smiley’s Bookstore has served the South Bay community for over 20 years and we will continue the legacy created in honor of Marc ‘Smiley’ Williams as the Mecca of Information and now also health,” said Carter.
Carter has served up healthy juice alternatives for more than a decade and with her expansion, she’s added new menu items, such as the popular salmon salad and avocado wraps. Her goal is to provide a complete wellness experience for anyone who enters their doors, she says.
Mayor Jim Dear said he was pleased that Carter chose to expand her business in the ethnically diverse, pro-business city. Probably everyone is interested in being healthy whether their lifestyle is contradictory or not but many are too busy to juice for themselves, he noted.
“What’s the answer? Juice-C-Juice! You come here. They’ll do the work for you. You’ll get the benefit. Everybody wins,” Mayor Dear said.
Councilmember Mike Gipson called the store a blessing to the city and Carter a role model for other would-be entrepreneurs. “It is just phenomenal. The expansion, the community coming in here, sitting down to have a great meal, getting the juice and getting healthy, is all inspired by this young, African American entrepreneur,” he said.
“We’re excited that she has come home to continue to give back to her community and we wanted to come out and say how much we appreciate young entrepreneurs for coming back to the city and providing jobs,” said Councilmember Lula Davis-Holmes, as she presented Carter with a framed award from city officials.
In addition to signature drinks and food, guests enjoyed music provided by DJ Alcatraz, and a book signing by Marlena Attinasi and Gloria Govan-Barnes. The two co-stars of VH1’s “Basketball Wives,” presented their new cookbook, “A Mixed Girls Favorite Recipes.”
“I am a regular customer here and the people here are simply fantastic! It’s gotten to the point where I walk in. They know my order. They call me by my name and it really makes you feel great,” said Daphne Washington.
Carter’s dreams of providing good, fresh food to her community became a reality when in 2002 she won $20,000 through the Recycling Black Dollars Business Grant competition, sponsored by Miller Brewing Company. Recycling Black Dollars is a Black business development organization founded by Muhammad Nassardeen in 1988.
Nassardeen passed away in 2007 but his legacy of encouraging Blacks to create high quality businesses and to support those efforts continues through efforts like Carter’s.
