Pure Raw Juice Opens Its Anthem House Location in Riverside/Locust Point

Pure Raw Juice, which first opened in an approximately 800 sq. ft. space at 1401 Riverside Ave. in Federal Hill in 2015, opened its second location in the area this Wednesday at A2 by Anthem House at 1430 Lawrence St. in Riverside/Locust Point. Pure Raw Juice is the first business to occupy the 1,304 sq. ft. first-floor retail space at A2, which was completed in 2018.

The Anthem House project was developed by War Horse Cities in partnership with Bozzuto and Solstice Partners. It occupies the the northern corners of Lawrence St. and E. Fort Ave. in Riverside and Locust Point.

Pure Raw Juice Co-owner and President Richard Manson said he expects the Federal Hill location to continue to be popular with the walk-up crowd and the A2 location to be a better location for drivers coming off Key Hwy., residents of Locust Point and Anthem House, Under Armour employees, gym-goers, and runners.

Manson said War Horse Cities Owner Scott Plank is a regular at the Federal Hill location and encouraged them to open a location at Anthem House. “He kept coming in and saying ‘guys this is where you need to be,’” said Manson.

Manson said the tight space at the Federal Hill location can cause difficulties, including lines out the door on weekends. The Federal Hill location has only four seats, but the A2 location is significantly larger and is filled with light as it has floor-to-ceiling windows that span to its 20 ft.-plus ceilings. It has a mezzanine level inside the space which provides additional tables, and roll-up garage doors leading to an outdoor patio.

All dining room seating at Pure Raw Juice and all other Maryland restaurants is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, when the dining room does open, Manson encourages customers to stay a while, enjoy the free WiFi, and utilize its book library.

A larger kitchen will allow Pure Raw Juice to run catering and delivery orders on GrubHub out of the A2 location.

Pure Raw Juice customers at A2 can use free two-hour parking at Anthem House, and there are street spots right out front.

Pure Raw Juice sells cold-pressed juices and lemonades; acai, pitaya, matcha, and avocado bowls; smoothies using frozen fruit, no ice, and house-made cashew milk; and fair-trade Peruvian nitro cold brew coffee, which is also included in some smoothies. They also sell a Flu Shot, which his a 2oz shot of ginger, lemon, cayenne pepper, and raw honey. All of the items are made in-house and are 100% plant-based.

Manson said the most popular item is the traditional acai bowl which is made of acai, granola, banana, and apple juice and topped with strawberries, blueberries, banana, coconut, and honey. He has credited this bowl’s popularity to its health benefits, taste, and picturesque quality that leads to a lot of social media posts.

Pure Raw Juice plans on adding some new smoothies in the near future as well as bowl for kids.

Pure Raw Juice is also committed to sustainability, according to Manson. Juices come in glass bottles and the smoothies use compostable cups and straws. Pure Raw Juice also has a bottle return program.

The A2 location will have temporary hours of 9am to 6pm on Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sundays. The hours will expand when things return to normal for businesses following the pandemic.

Pure Raw Juice has 12 employees at its A2 location.

Pure Raw Juice opened a Towson location in 2017 and opened additional locations at The Rotunda in Hampden last August and at Harford Mall in Bel Air in October.

Pure Raw Juice now has more than 90 employees. Manson said they’ve been “blessed with overwhelming support from the community” during the pandemic, and “basically haven’t laid off anyone.” He noted that all workers wear masks and take safety precautions, and said he is thankful his vendors and designers have continued to work hard during these challenging times.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Manson sees a huge focus on healthy diet choices in the future. He noted the immune system benefits of cold-pressed juices. “Now that I can consume Pure Raw Juice on a daily basis, I’ve seen a dramatic increase in my health,” he said. “Your body is not meant to digest some of the processed foods, fast foods, and meats. Eat as fresh as you can and you’ll feel better.”

Pure Raw Juice’s bowls and juices offer a lot of vitamins as well as key ingredients for anti-inflammatory like ginger and pineapple.

Pure Raw Juice recently raised $500 in donations and matched it with $500 to give away 1400 juices to healthcare workers at local hospitals. They made deliveries every Thursday in April.

“I had a lot of really good conversations with healthcare workers. I also got to speak directly with people with COVID-19. It’s tough. But, there was lot more hope at the hospitals by the end of April,” he said.

Manson said they are looking at opening a location in Canton and are in discussions for a location in both White Marsh and Columbia.

Photo courtesy of the Pure Raw Juice Facebook page 

via https://www.southbmore.com/2020/05/08/pure-raw-juice-opens-its-anthem-house-location-in-riverside-locust-point/