The partners in Smoothie Groove, which will open Saturday on the Southside, want to provide more healthy options in Aiken for fans of thick, smooth, blended drinks.

After one of the new business's owners was diagnosed with an inflammatory disease, she changed her diet, but discovered that her wholesome choices locally were limited as far as smoothies were concerned.

That was the inspiration for Smoothie Groove.

“We were like, 'Aiken really needs a smoothie shop,'” said Kalyn Floyd, who teamed up with Christia Hughes and Edith Ogletree to make the idea a reality.

Originally, the women were thinking about a food truck concept, but they eventually decided to put Smoothie Groove in a brick-and-mortar location at 448 Fabian Drive.

There are 10 different smoothies on the menu. Their names include Purple Rain, Sweetest Taboo, Brick House and Love Jones.

“Our bases are almond milk, coconut milk and coconut water,” Floyd said.

Other ingredients include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Love Jones, for example, is a mixture of kale, avocado, pineapple and coconut water.

Banana, peanut butter, strawberries, spinach and almond milk are in a Brick House.

Smoothie Groove customers also will be able to build their own smoothies by choosing two fruits, a green (spinach or kale) and a base.

In addition, immunity-boosting shots – wheatgrass, turmeric and ginger – will be available along with juices.

Among Smoothie Groove's other offerings will be avocado toast, a house kale salad and three sandwiches – a chicken salad croissant, a spinach turkey wrap and a veggie panini.

Smoothie Groove’s hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The schedule could change in the future depending on when the amount of traffic in Smoothie Groove is lighter or heavier, Floyd said.

For more information, call 803-226-9024 or visit the Smoothie Groove page on Facebook.


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