Kreation Juicery Squeezing onto South Broadway

Before Marjan Sarshar opened her first Kreation Juicery on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, she experimented with cold-pressing juices in her garage. Now, she plans to open her 21st at 750-762 S. Broadway within a month.

Amid the pandemic, acquiring a 21nd location wasn’t at the forefront of Sarshar’s mind. However, the previous tenant left the space with a year left on their lease, and happened to own a juicing company—free rent and equipment made the decision simple.

“If it wasn’t because of that, with what we’re experiencing with the pandemic, we wouldn’t expand at this time,” Sarshar told What Now Los Angeles. “We are getting a lot of requests from all of the neighbors to open up because they want to bring up their immune system and eat healthily and all that…Everyone is trying to juice up and keep their immune system up, so it’s a win-win—not paying rent for a year helps us a lot also.”

Sarshar’s business centers around cold-pressed juices, healthy to-go meals and snacks, take-home meals to be heated, probiotics, alkaline waters and all types of immunity-boosting shots. The eatery sells a over a dozen colorful juices with wholesome properties—”Glow Juice,” squeezed from green bell peppers, aloe vera, oranges and green apples; “Happy Juice” made with pineapples, pears, ginger and mint; “Destress Juice” made with a combination of coconuts, apples and strawberries; and, a juice most of us aspire to identify with, “Peaceful Juice,” made from green apples, mint and pineapple.

And, despite the trying economic weight of COVID, Sarshar hasn’t been stingy with the good stuff.

“We’ve been giving lots of juices to hospitals, to nurses to doctors,” said Sarshar. “I know in the long run we’re taking care of them and we’re keeping them healthy. It’s good karma– they’re keep our business healthy at the same time.”

Although the dine-in portion of her business has been adversely affected by the pandemic, Sarshar told What Now Los Angeles that her “Feel Better Shots,” immune-boosting shots, bone broths and pre-made meals have flown off the shelves amid COVID-19.

“Before, the Chocolate Lover [Meal-Replacing Smoothie] was more popular,” said Sarshar. “Non-essentials, food that is more delicious [sold the best]. Right now, people are all focusing on the Vitamins C’s and D’s and zinc to boost their immune system.”

Kreation’s snack boxes and take away meals, like their chickpea tikka, “Not Your Average Chick-Loaf,” robust selection of salads, soups and tapas have also sold especially well in the past few months—”they don’t have to go to the market, it’s grab-and-go.”

Sarshar’s interest in nutrition stemmed from her own struggles with weight and health; she also sought to improve the life of her daughter, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes. Since opening Kreation Juicery, she has watched the amelioration of both her own health and the health of her customers.

“Especially with the pandemic right now, I know your immune system and you being healthier has a lot to do with how everyone dealt with COVID,” she said. “If you were in a better positioning health-wise, the symptoms from covid were milder than if you were someone with underlying health issues. I am much healthier now than I was ever, and I’m glad that I took this path.”