Happy Birthday to the Daily Juice

South Austin favorite and Barton Springs Road stalwart The Daily Juice celebrated its Second Anniversary yesterday. We at the Austinist popped in to give our congratulations and to sip on the juice of the day: fresh coconut water, bananas and spirulina, served right out of a chopped-open coconut. Having celebrated a friend's 30th birthday the night before, co-owner and store manager Matt Shook assured us that the coconut was the way to go for our Monday hangover, as it was the best natural source of electrolytes in the world.

Shook and his partner Keith Wahrer purchased the store, (1625 Barton Springs Road) for which they once worked, back in March of 2003 and opened for business on March 28, 2003. The Daily Juice offers a wide variety of organic vegetable and fruit juices and smoothies. Customers can make their own or order from a broad array of juices and smoothies already devised by the juice masterminds. The store also carries delicious vegetarian and vegan food products, from the Vegan Snicker Doodle to an assortment of treats offered by Baraka Foods Co., a natural food company owned by Wahrer.

The Daily Juice has become a favorite stop for nourishment and replenishment among locals, and one gets a real sense of community after spending just a few minutes inside the unique store, carved from a cave that was once used as a hideout by the notorious Newton Brothers. Flyers adorn the walls announcing band performances and classes on spirituality and nutrition, as employee-selected music plays over the speakers. "We don't listen to satellite radio here," Shook states proudly. "No middle management telling us what to listen to; we pick it ourselves."

The Daily Juice is open from 8AM - Sunset daily and offers a 15% discount to cyclists, Daily Juice t-shirt wearers and single moms. Concerning the last group of beneficiaries, Shook says, "These ladies have it hard enough. And lord knows the government isn’t doing enough to help them."

It is this attitude of community and positivity, along with some of the best damn fresh juice in town that keeps brining customers back time and again. So pop in today, say hi, listen to some good music and grab yourself a Whiz Bang, a Chiller, a wheat grass shot, or create your own special concoction.

Here's to many more years of being a great neighbor, Daily Juice.