By Sheila McGrath
WKTV Contributing Writer
With a little help from some friends, Jermale Eddie has taken his business, Malamiah Juice Bar, to the next level.
After bringing in two new owners this spring, Malamiah Juice Bar opened its second location on July 11.
The new juice bar in the downtown David D. Hunting YMCA, 475 Lake Michigan Drive NW, will serve up made-to-order items like smoothies and bowls, as well as a variety of juices and grab-and-go items. Hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Until now, the business had been operating one retail juice bar and eatery in the downtown Studio Park development, 122 Oakes St. SW, while also distributing their juices to about 20 grocery stores in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Kalamazoo.
But Eddie said he had been thinking over the past couple of years about adding some business partners.
In the beginning, there was two
He started Malamiah Juice bar with his wife, Anissa, in 2013, taking the name for the business from the names of the couple’s three sons – Malachi, Nehemiah and Josiah.
The two operated the business togther for a while, then Eddie became a “solopreneur” after his wife returned to work in a different job, he said.
“I knew at one point that we had taken this business as far as we could by ourselves,” he said. “I had to think about what are the elements that are missing? What do we need? Who do we need to come in to help us get to the next level? We didn’t want to plateau.”
A little help from his friends
That’s where his friends Randy Otterbridge and Kris Mathis came in. Both had backgrounds in marketing, and Eddie had known them for a long time through business connections and community events.
“I knew their business savviness, I knew their care and love for the community and their honesty and integrity, which is big,” Eddie said.
Mathis, the new chief of operations, is a self-described “serial entrepreneur.” He owns Raise a Glass Wine and Beer tours, coaches at SpringGR, and owns Blue Water Lake House, a short term vacation rental.
Otterbridge, the new chief marketing officer, has been teaching entrepreneurship at SpringGR for the past eight years and previously worked in the nonprofit sector for the Grand Rapids Urban League. He said he saw “massive opportunities” in the e-commerce and digital marketing space for the business.
An eye toward the future
In addition to opening more locations, the three are focused on growing the company in terms of the customer experience, the staffing experience and the community experience, Eddie said.
“Those are three areas of importance to us,” Eddie said. “It boils down to having the right systems in place and growing our systems.”
“The other part of our business model at both locations is, who do we take along with us on the journey? How do we support local as a local business? So you’ll find products from local entrepreneurs such as Ferris Coffee and granola bars from Granola Goddess,” Eddie said.
As they look to open more locations, Otterbridge said they’re focused on finding places with good synergy.
“We think about where can we place ourselves that already has foot traffic where we can be of service to the clients there,” he said.
Mathis said they’re also hoping to increase their retail footprint in their existing locations where things are already going well, as well as selling their products in more stores. They have a few other ideas in the works, such as after-hours activities for entrepreneurs, he said.
“If there is anyone interested in working with us in collaboration or partnership, or even opening another location of Malamiah, just reach out to us,” Mathis said. “Send us an email. We’re always open to entertaining ideas and possibly collaborating and seeing where it can take us.”
Malamaiah Juice Bar can be reached at juicy@malamiahjuicebar.com.
