For meat lovers who swear that nothing will ever beat the taste of a juicy burger, one sip of a made-to-order smoothie, one bite of a refreshing acai bowl, or one spoonful of energizing chia pudding from Method Juice Café is enough to make them reconsider.
When general manager Alicia Newman joined Method two years ago, she was admittedly a bit blind to the vegan lifestyle. That all changed as she began to work with the product, taste her way through the menu, and hear story after story of customers sharing a similar message: “Your food makes me feel better!”
That’s the goal at Method Juice Café: to bring health and wellness to the community. And now with their newest location in the West End of downtown Spokane, they’re able to introduce even more people to their delicious, all-organic juices, smoothies and healthy eats.
A few years back, the West End of downtown – the area between Monroe and Maple, running along Sprague, Riverside and First Avenue – wasn’t a big place for tourism, yet owners Nick Murto and Tyler Lafferty, who also own The Union Studios, saw the potential for a resurgence. They wanted to be among the first to transform the area and help spread out downtown without going into Kendall Yards.
The space at 1309 West 1st Avenue was perfect. Their plan was to build a new location for The Union – offering yoga, spin and TRX – with a grab-and-go Method Juice Café attached to it so athletes could get a quick smoothie or acai bowl post-workout.
After teardown of the original vacant building, the seven-story rebuild of what’s now known as the Parkview West building got underway. The result was a stunning new Union/Method location on the street level, featuring old brick from the original building with a very modernized look.
Even though the pandemic took their opening plans on a long detour, their patience persevered and the doors to The Union West and Method fully opened in May 2021. Now the focus is on getting the word out, not just to athletes, but to anyone who wants to live a healthier lifestyle.
“Our products aren’t a one-size-fits-all when it comes to people’s health needs,” shared Alicia. “Especially with juice cleansing and smoothies, you don’t want to just recommend anything. That’s what makes us unique. People can add in different boosts depending on what they’re looking for, whether it’s heart health, digestive help or brain activity.”
Having Brick West Brewing Co. across the street is bringing more foot traffic to Method, and the Airbnbs in their building are bringing the tourists. More houses are being built along the river and there are more condos than ever before in downtown Spokane, helping to ignite growth in the area.
What they enjoy most about the West End of downtown is the big-city feel within a tight-knit community.
“We really love our partnership with Brick West Brewing,” Alicia said. “We do yoga and mimosas with them in their courtyard and bring our vegan cookie dough samples. It’s a great relationship.”
Method’s top-selling smoothie at their new West End location is the Blue Majik, blended with coconut milk, pineapple, banana, blue majik – a proprietary extract of spirulina – and raw agave.
And one of their most popular items to turn meat-loving skeptics into vegan believers is their signature Taco Salad. It features spicy ranch, cumin, and turmeric tossed with romaine, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, onions, black beans, and crushed tortilla chips, then topped with avocado, cilantro, and lime.
“You’d never know it’s a vegan-based dressing,” shared Alicia. “It’s fantastic, it’s got flavor, and it’s so good for you.”
For people who are wary of coming in because of the vegan aspect, Alicia’s message is this: “Just come try it and you’ll be surprised. You’re going to fall in love.”
Method’s Café West location is open Tuesday–Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.