When Dominique Allen launched her Vegan Juiceology business, the first place to stock her cold–pressed juices was Dovecote Cafe in Reservoir Hill. Dovecote has since closed, but this fall, in a major full-circle moment, Allen got the keys to the cafe and plans to open her own eatery there.
I have more on her vision for the spot — and why she left behind a storefront on Howard Street — in this week’s column, which takes a look at a new wine store and tavern opening in Northeast Baltimore, too. I also try to get to the bottom of just what happened to RA Sushi in Harbor East.
All Good Things
Dominique Allen’s Vegan Juiceology started out as an artisan juice company and then, four years ago, evolved into a cafe. Visitors to her Howard Street storefront could order beet lemonades and green detox blends from a juice bar, or pick from a menu of smoothies, plant-based protein shakes, vegan burgers and “chicken” sandwiches.
Vegan Juiceology was among a group of shops, including Cajou Creamery and Cuples Tea House, that made up “Healthy Howard Row,” a collection of Black-owned, health-focused businesses on the 400 block of Howard Street. Allen says she had an emotional attachment to the block, as the home of her first storefront.
But sometime around the end of 2023, business there started to slow. Foot traffic was down, Allen said, and developments in the works nearby stalled. Vinyl and Pages, a book and record store adjacent to Cuples Tea House and run by the same owners, moved from Howard Street to Harborplace.
“There was a shift, and everyone felt it,” Allen said. “It was a great run, but I’m all about a pivot.”
Her pivot brought her to Reservoir Hill, where she’s hoping to open All Good Things Cafe at 2501 Madison Avenue in late 2024 or early 2025. On a recent November afternoon, the shop had been stripped of wallpaper and was awaiting a fresh coat of paint. Allen and interior designer Kenneth Watson have their eyes on a blue/green hue called Opium, with pops of magenta and gold.
The cafe will be the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Greater Baltimore Urban League. Allen participated in the group’s 10-week Black Restaurant Accelerator program earlier this year, where she honed her vision for the new business and was named valedictorian of her cohort.
In a bid to offer a community-minded alternative to mega-chains like Starbucks and Dunkin, Allen wants All Good Things to be open everyday for breakfast, lunch and supper, with tentative hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Much of the Vegan Juiceology menu will carry over to the new spot, but Allen decided to change the name to reflect an expansion of offerings to include vegetarian and pescatarian options, like lattes with whole milk, shrimp po’ boys and salmon cheesesteaks.
“The majority of people I talk to, they don’t eat meat as much as they used to,” Allen said, but many still incorporate fish and dairy into their diets.
All Good Things will host brunch on the weekends, and will also have themed nights like Taco Tuesdays and Fish Fry Fridays. “I want it to be a community space where people can come, chill out, have a change of scenery,” Allen said.
She’s already started to do some outreach with a party in the cafe’s courtyard and Halloween goodies for trick or treaters. As she stood outside All Things Good talking about future plans, a nearby resident stopped by to ask about the cafe and inquire about job openings. Allen passed along her number and promised to follow up.
“People are happy to see life in this space again,” she said.
Beverly beverages
Plenty of people call it Lauraville, but Jeryl and Tyrekia Cole’s new wine shop is technically in Northeast Baltimore’s Beverly neighborhood. That’s why they decided to name it Beverly House.
The store, which opens at 4505 Harford Road on Saturday, will be similar in some respects to Off the Rox, the small beer and wine store they opened in Highlandtown six years ago, when some people claimed the neighborhood as part of Canton. Now, thanks in part to small businesses like the Coles’ and community organizations like Creative Alliance, Highlandtown has made its own name.
Like Off the Rox, Beverly House will carry a curated collection of wines from small and family-run vineyards near and far, as well as an entire wall of non-alcoholic options. The shop, which takes up only about half the retail footprint of Off the Rox, will have a more modest selection of beer than in Highlandtown, but will add spirits to the mix, including bottles from Baltimore distilleries like Old Line Spirits.
One thing you won’t find at Beverly House: mass-produced, high-alcohol malt liquors like Steel Reserve. Jeryl Cole said his upbringing in the city showed him the harmful effects those drinks can have on communities.
“It’s the way of just growing up in Baltimore and understanding how some predatory products are forced on certain locations, certain areas,” he said. “We don’t judge anybody, but just for us, we stay away from that stuff.”
He and Tyrekia plan to add a second-floor tasting room to the shop next year. After that will come a tavern serving food and drinks in the back of the building’s first floor.
The couple also has a cafe and bottle shop in the works in East Baltimore’s CARE neighborhood, bordering Butchers Hill and Johns Hopkins Hospital. The shop, called Jem’s, will be named for their three sons, Jeryl, Jr., Emil and Mali.
Searching for RA
What happened to RA? The Harbor East sushi bar abruptly shuttered last month, pulling down its sign and closing its dining room without notice to customers.
I reached out to The ONE Group, the Denver-based hospitality operator that acquired Safflower Holdings Corp., the parent company to RA Sushi and Benihana restaurants, earlier this year.
A spokesperson for the company, which boasts “international restaurants and vibe dining,” sent me the following statement: “As we organize to capture synergies with the Benihana and RA Sushi acquisitions, we are combining restaurants in select markets where there is overlap. For those locations, RA Sushi takeout and delivery will still be available.”
Those craving RA can order takeout sushi orders for pickup at Kona Grill, another restaurant run by The ONE Group, at 100 E. Pratt St. RA’s menu will also be available on third-party delivery apps.
Have a news tip? Contact reporter Amanda Yeager at [email protected], 443-790-1738 or @amandacyeager on X.
