Rittenhouse Square, long home to many charming cafes and eateries, is seeing a surge in hip new food and beverage spots. The 200 block of South 20th St, home to Spread Bagelry, Audrey Claire, Twenty Manning, and the Bakeshop, among others, welcomed a new neighbor, Sip-N-Glo Juicery, in November of 2015.

Owner Kristin Lubsen transformed the space at 257 S. 20th Street, formerly a gift shop, into a warm, bright, space devoted to wholesome ingredients and positive transformation. Working with her contractor, All Day Construction, and listing agent, Alex Franqui of Solo Real Estate, Lubsen worked to ensure that every detail of the experience at Sip-N-Glo would be both fun and nourishing.

On the warm winter day when I visited Lubsen at Sip-N-Glo, she met everyone walking through the door with a bright smile, whether it be a new face or an old friend. The ebullient young entrepreneur hadn’t worked in the hospitality industry before opening her first juicery location in May of 2012, but she’s got quite the knack for making people feel right at home.

Not long after graduating from Syracuse University, the Pennington School alum returned to the Philadelphia area and began plans to develop not just a juice shop, but a fun environment for friends and family to gather and grow. “Community is extremely important to me”, says Lubsen, whose close knit group of high school friends continue to live just blocks away from one another, not far from Sip-N-Glo’s Rittenhouse location.

Lubsen not only nurtures relationships with old friends, but with her staff as well. A good handful  of her employees have worked with Sip-N-Glo for several years; pretty remarkable considering the typically high turnover rate in the food and beverage industry. I can understand why. She encourages her employees to contribute their talents to the team, inviting them to participate in the creation of new menu items and contribute ideas for merchandise. Lubsen demonstrates a maturity of leadership beyond her years with this this passion for collaboration. “I want to allow people to express their niche skills and interests” she says, as more and more customers enter the juicery during their lunch break.

This enthusiasm for teamwork would alone make Lubsen an inspiring business owner. But her truly remarkable talent is her ability to focus on the tiniest of details in order to build a  great, consistent product. From rigorously testing and retesting each new menu item, to fastidiously building a business plan, Lubsen intuitively understands that even the smallest decisions, from an extra quarter ounce of ginger in a juice, to the exact shade of orange on a sign, really matter.

Solo Real Estate is thrilled to have such an incredible tenant operating at 257 South 20th Street, and we can’t wait to watch her business grow with every sip.