Greenheart Juice Shop’s remaining stores are apparently changing hands, continuing a summer of upheaval for the Northern Virginia business.
The juice bar has closed its Vienna location after just over four years at 208 Dominion Road. Its final day of operations was Sunday (Aug. 24), taking loyal customers by surprise.
Greenheart’s Leesburg and Aldie shops appear to have closed as well, with both locations no longer accepting online orders. A call to the one in D.C.’s Western Market food hall before its 6 p.m. closing time yesterday (Monday) went unanswered.
The business was still operating yesterday at 2016 Wilson Blvd in Arlington’s Courthouse neighborhood. An employee said she had no knowledge of any plans to permanently close, stating that as far as she was aware, it should be open for business today (Tuesday).
The closures follow the equally unexpected shutdown of Greenheart’s short-lived Reston shop in late July.
At the time, founder and director of operations Alicia Swanstrom said Greenheart was transitioning into a cafe this fall. While the Reston storefront in North Point Village Center couldn’t accommodate the change, other locations were expected to remain open, and expansions to Old Town Alexandria and Ashburn were still in the works.
Now, however, the entire business is being sold off, owner Reese Gardner says. He declined to reveal details about the impending acquisition, which was first reported by The Burn, but he told FFXnow that “you’ll see very soon who” the new owner is.
“Information on who is coming in will be released when details are worked out with landlords,” he said.
One possibility is a takeover of at least some locations by fellow juice bar chain South Block, which has been expanding recently in the D.C. region. Started by longtime Fairfax County resident Amir Mostafavi, the company is already working on additions in Idylwood and Reston, along with its first North Carolina location.
No deal has been finalized yet, and if it does move forward, it won’t include the Vienna shop.
“This is still a very fluid and rapidly evolving situation,” Mostafavi said. “Greenheart contacted us just last week, and we are currently exploring the potential of taking over a couple of their locations. However, we are not considering the Vienna location, as we already have a presence there.”
Rumor has it that the Vienna location might be turning into a Toastique, another brand that focuses on health food. A spokesperson for Toastique, which sells gourmet toasts alongside cold-pressed juice, smoothies and smoothie bowls, didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
Toastique does have confirmed locations in the works in Great Falls and at Reston Town Center.
Swanstorm didn’t respond to inquiries about the future of Greenheart Juice. She originally started the business in 2013 out of a desire to provide healthy, nutritious juices after finding support in the health community following the death of a loved one.
Gardner, who owns the Arlington-based hospitality group Wooden Nickel Bar Company, acquired Greenheart in 2023 — a move that averted the closures of its three existing locations in Vienna, Aldie and Leesburg, the Washington Business Journal reported at the time.
Wooden Nickel’s Arlington restaurants include Copperwood Tavern, Brass Rabbit, Quinn’s on the Corner and Nettie’s Tavern, which opened on Aug. 11. Back in 2023, the company planned to introduce a whiskey-and-steak concept dubbed Ox & Rye at Capital One Center in Tysons, but that venture never came to fruition.
Gardner didn’t comment on why he’s looking to sell Greenheart at this time, but an investor who had supported its Reston location filed a civil lawsuit against the company in early July.
After the complaint didn’t receive a response, a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge awarded the investor a default judgment last Friday (Aug. 22) of $83,838.99, plus 18% interest per year until the amount is paid back in full, according to court documents.
Gardner said he has no comment on the lawsuit or the default judgment.
“It’s being handled with the acquisition,” Gardner said.
The amount of the default judgment awarded in the lawsuit against Greenheart has been corrected.
