We had the good fortune of connecting with Asaru Alim El-Bey and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Asaru Alim, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
While attending (FSU) Fayetteville State University from 1988-1993, a very small group of brothers, sisters and myself called (U.F.P.) Unity For Prosperity opened a bookstore named “The Hall of Knowledge” (1989-1996). At the time my major was business however, none of the classes taught practical business skills. Here I was in college with others with our own business and the teachers that taught business classes owned no business. Consequently, I soon changed my major to sociology and history. In 2001, my wife Khadirah and I opened another bookstore named “Cultural Freedom.” Both bookstores, ‘Hall of Knowledge’ and ‘Cultural Freedom’ (2001-2011) were Afro-Centric. Later, in the year 2018, my wife and I opened a smoothie and vegan restaurant named “Juice & Moor,” in Henderson, NC. The concept came from unifying two of our favorite restaurants, one was “Moorish Medicine” in the ‘ATL’ and the other ‘Rawtopia Bliss’ in Columbia, SC, combining the smoothies with the vegan foods. We went further, now combining books, precious gemstones, oils, incenses, and MOOR. We are in our sixth year and still growing.
What should our readers know about your business?
We are Asaru Alim El-Bey, and Khadirah Ma’at El-Bey owners of JUICE & MOOR, SMOOTHIE, VEGAN CAFE & METAPHYSICAL SHOP. We have been in operation since 2018, approximately (6) six years and counting. The community lovingly refers to us as the “One Stop, Conscious Shop!” We offer a combination of a smoothie shop and a vegan cafe. In the south we have always seen them separate. It was ‘ONLY’ a vegan restaurant’ or it was ‘either ONLY’ a smoothie shop.. While, up north, like in New York they were always combined, a vegan restaurant sold smoothies as well. So, we brought the New York flavor to North Cackalack (North Carolina).
While attending (FSU) Fayetteville State University from 1988-1993, Asaru and a very small group of brothers and sisters formed (U.F.P.) Unity For Prosperity and we opened a bookstore, that I named the “Hall Of Knowledge” (1989 – 1996). Later, my wife Khadirah and I opened another bookstore named “Cultural Freedom” (2001-2011). Both bookstores were Afro-Centric. Therefore, Asaru over a (30) thirty years span got a chance to run (3) three businesses. When I first decided on a college major, it was Business, however, all I learned was “Supply and Demand,”nothing practical Funny, I was learning business from teachers who had NO business(es) and here I was a college student with a business, i.e., bookstore.
Asaru Alim El-Bey and Khadirah Ma’at El-Bey are alumnis of (FSU) Fayetteville, State University, located in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Asaru graduated with a B.A. in Sociology, minor in History. He graduated in 1993. Khadirah graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics and graduated in 2002. Both are currently attending the University of Oklahoma’s Law School (MLS) Master’s Legal Studies program for Indigenous People’s Law and Human Rights.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The fun place I would take my best friend would be to Juice & Moor Smoothie Vegan Cafe & Metaphysical Shop. We have plenty of food options and so many different items that a person would be overwhelmed. One can customize their juices, smoothies or order our Mo lentil steak burger, Mo raw pizza, Mo nachoes, and etc. We have an extensive book section where you can sit or lay down and read. On Tuesdsays, Wednesdays and Thursdays we have a young girl’s dance group named the Unique Dance Queens. On Fridays we have open mic, poetry, comedy, singing, karaoke, and etc.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Thanks to my personal teachers, such as the late Prince Ramisis Abel Bey (Crown Prince Hutan Tu’pak Bey) of the Empire Washitaw de Dugdahmoundyah Muurs; the late Grand Master Sunyata Saraswati of the Shen Tao Dragon Phoenix Temple Monastery and Shen Tao Innergy Arts and current Grand Master Shaheed Sultan Muhammad of the Golden Tiger Kung-Fu Academy, teacher of Wing Chun and Shaolin Wah Lum Kung Fu.
Website: https://www.dralimelbey.com/juice-moor-cafe.html
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/two_factor?next=%2F
Twitter: https://www.alignable.com/henderson-nc/mhtsw-juice-moor-vegan-cafe-healing-wings-institute
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/juice-and-moor-cafe-and-natural-market-henderson
Other: https://restaurantguru.com/JUICE-and-MOOR-CAFE-and-NATURAL-MARKET-Henderson-North-Carolina https://www.google.com/maps/place/Juice+%26+Moor+Vegan+Smoothie+Cafe+%26+Natural+Market+Place/@36.3265612,-78.4034322,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89adbd2d796b41f5:0x7153216dcdcbc3e1!8m2!3d36.3265612!4d-78.4034322!16s%2Fg%2F11h0zbf6fm?entry=ttu https://www.mapquest.com/us/north-carolina/juice-moor-cafe-natural-market-422300622