By Emily Miller
REXBURG—The owners of Crush Artisanal Drinks in Rexburg love fancy drinks, but they love the ideas of providing a fun gathering place and supporting local businesses just as much—maybe more.
Steve and Jennifer are the owners of the new drink shop, located at 155 W. Main Street, Ste. 5, (the former location of The Pit BBQ), in the shopping center that also includes Domino’s Pizza and Book Viking.
Crush will be hosting a grand opening today and tomorrow (Oct. 22 and 23) from 5-10 p.m. with buy one, get one drinks. No coupon is necessary for the promotion.
Steve and Jennifer know there are many options to choose from when it comes to ordering specialty drinks in Rexburg, but the owners say their shop is different, for a few reasons.
“We have nine signature drinks, which is a little different from the mix-and-match drinks that you see around town,” Jennifer says. “For us, what was really important was bringing authentic flavors from around the world, whether it be from California or from Asia—that’s where boba as a drink originated.”
Jennifer says that while most specialty drink shops focus on being able to customize your beverage, Crush fills a different niche.
“We wanted to keep the signature aspect,” she says, “We’ve created this phenomenal and fun drink, and we’d like you to enjoy it as is … We use really high-quality ingredients and we stand behind that because we see younger folks, especially, wanting healthier alternatives.”
Steve notes that, while their artisanal drinks feature flavors from around the world, none of the beverages have tea in them.
Crush also wants to be known as more than a drink stop. The owners have designed the business with the community in mind, in more ways than one.
“We use high quality Reed’s milk,” Jennifer says. “We are also a big fan of supporting local businesses. We also freshly squeeze our lemonades every day. We use real strawberries … We shop at Broulim’s for our produce.”
Steve says that supporting local business was important to them in choosing how to source their supplies, as well.
“Even our cups,” he says. “We get our custom cups sourced from a company here in Rexburg.”
But it’s not just about supporting local businesses. The owners say they want to fill a need they perceive in the community by providing a place where people will love to gather.
“We’re more than a boba and drink store,” Jennifer says. “We want to see students and locals coming to share a very memorable time.”
Reminiscing on her own college days, Jennifer remembers those “late-night cafe” experiences, which she’d like to provide for others with her new business.
“Those friendships last forever,” she says. “Those type of communal spaces—I thought Rexburg could really use one.”
Jennifer says they’ve received great feedback since their soft opening, including a customer who said “they could spend hours here with their friends, just chatting away”
“To me, that was really special,” she says, “Because that’s exactly what we’re trying to create … It feels good that what we’re creating is something that’s needed and something that students and locals are wanting and valuing.”
In addition to specialty drinks, Crush has a retail section featuring stationery, handmade jewelry reusable water tumblers, and cosmetics. Retail items will be 25% off during the grand opening this weekend.
See rexburgcommons.com for more local news and events, and be sure to check out our huge community calendar here.
