On Sunday, Sept. 22, Saratoga Juice Bar closed after six years of serving fresh juice, acai bowls, vegan wraps, sandwiches, protein bites, and smoothies to the Saratoga Springs community.
Saratoga Springs has always enjoyed large crowds in the summer season due to the race track, which boasts some of the country’s most competitive equestrian racing — not to mention all the high-scale concerts at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Even during the Fall season, with the year-round farmer’s market and the quiet beauty of Congress Park and Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga has become a destination for myriads of people. Despite these attractions, larger crowds of tourists and business owners come with benefits and pitfalls.
Customers discovered that Saratoga Juice Bar lost its lease when the store founders, Christel Albritton Maclean and Colin Scott Maclean left a note on their door, which circulated through the Legacy Juice Works website and the juice bar’s social media platforms.
Colin Maclean stated to the Skidmore News that their lease was up, and the landlord had plans to reclaim the property to open a real-estate business. Although there has been discussion on finding a new property and owner, there are no concrete plans as of now.
The Macleans want to shift their focus mainly onto the wholesale business and mentioned that they are “very focused on the wellness side of things.”
In a follow-up comment to the Skidmore News, Maclean mentioned that him and his partner are grateful for the Juice bar’s six-year run, “It was a great experience from the get-go, we love what we have been doing”.
Maclean also said that “it’s wonderful to have the Skidmore Community around,” as the Legacy Juice bar beverages can be found on campus at the Spa.
However, the closing of small businesses like Saratoga Juice Bar raises general concerns about staying afloat in an increasingly competitive market. Circus Cafe, a restaurant also owned by the Macleans that served pub-style American cuisine, closed this past year due to a similar issue: with a lease and “a very challenging labor Climate,” as reported by the Saratogian.
Legacy Juice Works, the health-conscious company behind Saratoga Juice Bar, was founded in Saratoga in July 2013. The mission of the family-run business was to provide organic, cold-pressed juices, formed by using a pressure process to retain the vitamins and minerals of the fruits and vegetables. “I like the variety of options they have, that the drinks aren’t overly sweet,” said Sofia Saenz ‘21.
The Macleans were inspired by the ethos of wellness embedded in Saratoga Springs. They aimed to expand the company into different locations around the east coast and Los Angeles, California.
As a wholesale company, Legacy Juice works sells juices and recipes in over 800 locations on the east coast, several of those including New York grocery stores like Hannaford, Price Chopper, and Healthy Living Market.
Saratoga Springs has recently been a hotspot for larger corporations to establish their businesses. The price of rent on Broadway and surrounding areas continues to rise as restaurants and retail stores move around to different locations or close altogether.
Although the Juice Bar has left Broadway, the Macleans hope to keep their legacy of wellness and fresh ingredients alive with Legacy Juice Works products.