In 2020, Nashia Frye started selling her fresh-pressed organic juices with her now-husband Brandon Frye because she wanted to share her family’s passion for juicing with her community. But when her pop-ups at basketball tournaments weren’t drawing the crowds she’d expected, she instead found her audience at farmers markets in Ypsi and Ann Arbor.

"The business started off called ‘Just Fresh Juice,’" explains Frye. "We came up with [the name] ‘No Label’ later because our bottles didn’t have labels on them, and that meant a little more to us because we don’t put anything with a label into our juice."

On March 1, No Label Juice had its grand opening as a brick-and-mortar space at 2878 Washtenaw Ave. in Ypsilanti Township. Frye says participating in local farmers markets helped to skyrocket the business to where it is now. Frye says the Washtenaw location was perfect for her and her customer base, equally accessible to Ypsi residents as well as folks from Ann Arbor and other Washtenaw County communities.  
Doug CoombeNashia and Brandon Frye at No Label Juice's Washtenaw Avenue location.
"I love everybody’s pride in Ypsi," Frye says. "This is my city, and I want to spread the love of juice and resources like this around this community."

While No Label Juice’s production started in nonprofit Growing Hope's incubator kitchen in Ypsi, Frye says the new space has allowed her to make more products and satisfy customer demand. She says joining the Ypsi small business community has also allowed her to form close relationships with her neighbors, who have been "nothing but supportive" to her and her business.

"My experience so far has been that the Ypsi community is an uplifting one that supports small businesses," Frye says. "Anytime I speak with another business owner, they want to promote us on their social media or they share resources that they’ve used. It’s a network where we’re all leaning on each other to stay successful."
Doug CoombeCameron and Autumn Meadows getting smoothies at No Label Juice.
More information about the store and its future farmers market pop-ups can be found on No Label Juice's website, Facebook, or Instagram.

"We’ve been working really hard. It’s been a journey building this space," says Frye. "We really wanted to represent Ypsi in the best way."

Water Tower Distilling Co.

Those on the hunt for unique beverage experiences will find other exciting new options in two businesses planning to open soon in downtown Ypsi. Skott and Charleen Schoonover, for example, are preparing Ypsilanti’s first whiskey distillery, Water Tower Distilling Co., at 23 N. Washington St. While Skott Schoonover's passion for spirit distilling is recent, he views the process and the resulting product as pure magic.

"We’re turning some vegetables into amazing stuff that helps you feel better at the end of a bad day," Schoonover jokes. "Whiskey is the closest we’ve come to alchemy."

Originally from California, Schoonover says he and his wife took a detour from house hunting in Michigan to visit Ypsi for lunch. They immediately fell in love with the city, its businesses, and its residents. When considering a spot for their business, Ypsi made perfect sense in terms of affordability. Schoonover says the city’s dedication to inclusivity and its diversity also aligned well with his business' values.
Doug CoombeSkott Schoonover at Water Tower Distilling.
"Walking through downtown Ypsi, my wife and I thought this was like a town you see in movies," Schoonover says. "We knew that these were our people, and this was the town for us."

Like Frye, Schoonover says the small business community in Ypsi has been immensely supportive of his work, with neighbors reaching out to him to provide assistance throughout the Schoonovers' renovation process. He also mentions significant assistance from Ypsilanti City Hall, which he says has "been instrumental" in helping the Schoonovers manage the legal side of opening a new business downtown.

"Our neighbors have been nothing but supportive of us opening. We really believe that a rising tide raises all ships," Schoonover says. "We’re all thinking big, so more people want to come to downtown Ypsi from elsewhere."
Doug CoombeSkott Schoonover upstairs at Water Tower Distilling.
Water Tower Distilling Co. is slated to open sometime this spring, and Schoonover hopes to open by St. Patrick’s Day. You can keep up to date with the distillery by following its Instagram.

"Ypsi is a community that fosters startup growth, where people are going to do anything they can to help their neighbors survive and thrive," Schoonover says. "We all know that teamwork is the way we’re all going to win right now, and what else could you ask for when starting a business?"

Book Love Bar

Whether you’re looking for a date night cocktail or an afternoon coffee, visitors to downtown Ypsi will soon find yet another new option in Book Love Bar, 110 W. Michigan Ave. Co-owners and operators Jessica and Steve Tharp hope to provide a unique experience: a hybrid bookstore, coffee shop, and cocktail bar providing good drinks to pair with customers' current reads.

"My husband and I have dreamed of starting a bookstore for many years now," Jessica Tharp says. "For us, these spaces have always been a place of community and comfort, and a place to meet friends and make new ones."

Opening a bookstore bar is the culmination of Tharp's lifelong love of literature and years of entrepreneurial experience. After co-owning a pet sitting business and a catering company, Book Love Bar will be the first business Jessica Tharp has owned with her husband. She's eager to share her dream with the greater Ypsi community.
Doug CoombeJessica Tharp at Book Love Bar.
"The happiest place for me has always been the library or bookstore," Tharp says. "I have a background in the restaurant industry, and owning a bookstore bar is my ultimate dream come true."

Tharp already has close ties to Ypsi's small business community. Book Love Bar will take Stone and Spoon’s place after that store’s closure last summer. Tharp says Stone and Spoon owner Jen Eastridge, as well as Danielle Schwerin of Depot Town’s former Cafe Ollie, have been "instrumental" in her personal small business journey. Tharp says these established connections with Ypsi business owners, as well as a deep love for the city, made downtown Ypsi the perfect spot for Book Love Bar to grow and thrive.

"When we showed up to take a tour of the space, it was everything we had dreamed of," Tharp says. "This includes Ypsi as a whole – diverse, community activated, a touch of grit, and an abundance of kindness."
Doug CoombeJessica Tharp at Book Love Bar.
Tharp says Book Love Bar will open in "phases" pending completion of renovations and approval of paperwork. Follow the business' journey on Facebook or Instagram for updates.

"I have been coming to Ypsilanti for over a decade and have watched how the community really works together to hold small businesses up," Tharp says. "Coming to Ypsilanti has been a joy. We have a lot of support, and people seem excited to have another bookstore in the city."

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photos by Doug Coombe.