For Megan Farley, a college job in the mid-2000s became much more.
As a Kent State University freshman back in Kent, Ohio, she began working at Ohio-based Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar. At the time, the healthy eatery was still relatively new in the area.
“I fell in love with it,” Farley said. “It’s a high energy (environment) like the colors are vibrant, and all the people that I worked with were just great. I was making friends that I knew I would have for the rest of my life.”
The dream to someday open her own Pulp store grew from there. Now that dream is coming true.
This spring, she’ll open the Ohio-based company’s first Johnson County franchise in Lenexa.
Pulp is coming to 8814 Maurer Road
- The juice and smoothie bar is coming to a space at the Sonoma Plaza shopping center, just off 87th Street and Maurer Road in Lenexa.
- There, Pulp will operate next to Mediterranean eatery Meddy’s at the shopping center.
- Pulp’s regular hours in Lenexa are not yet finalized, but its stores in Ohio are typically open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Pulp serves fresh juices, smoothies, and healthy eats
The menu at Pulp offers a wide variety of smoothies and juices, made fresh to order.
Some of its smoothie offerings include “classic” blends like strawberry banana and “peach beach” (apple juices, peaches, bananas, orange sherbet, yogurt), as well as “premium” blends like the “pink dragon” (dragonfruit, strawberry juice, mangos, yogurt, pineapple sorbet, lemon squeeze and chia seeds) and the “ultimate acai” (organic acai, strawberry juice, mangos, blueberries, yogurt and chia seeds).
In addition to its beverages, Pulp also offers healthy and quick eats like acai bowls, wraps and salads.
This marks Pulp’s debut in Johnson County
When Farley began seriously looking for a site for her first Pulp store in early 2024 with a broker, she had one clear goal in mind: land in Lenexa, if at all possible.
Farley, who moved to Lenexa about a decade ago, said she quickly fell in love with the community’s small-business focus and supportive atmosphere.
“It’s very small-business oriented,” she said. “So many little festivals and parks, and it’s just a great place to live.”
Following Pulp’s local debut in Lenexa, Farley said she hopes to open more locations later on in Johnson County — though nothing is set in stone for further expansion yet.
For now, though, she’s savoring the excitement of bringing a piece of her former home to her new home.
“Being able to bring something that I know is so healthy and tastes great to Lenexa, I think, is what really excites me,” she said. “And also being able to bring something to like my new home in Lenexa, that I love from where I grew up — that’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.”
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