Thirsty? Swap that coffee for a fruit smoothie

Can I get a boost with that?

Students may find themselves asking this question at a new smoothie shop opening on Nassau Street this summer. Instead of ordering an extra shot of espresso, students may choose Korean ginseng and bee pollen to flavor their healthy drinks.

Princeton's first Booster Juice will offer an alternative to coffee and ice cream, the two quick snacks that dominate Nassau Street.

"It's a fun, high-quality, tasty meal in a cup," storeowner Michael Pulaski said. The opening of Booster Juice is the 27 year old's first business venture.

The store will offer 25 varieties of smoothie and a dozen juices, along with panini sandwiches. "Boosters" are nutritional supplements that add a kick to the smoothies. Customers choose one of 10 boosters for their drink that promise to increase energy levels and immune system health.

"We think [our smoothies] are the healthiest that are out there," New York-area master franchisee John Herrick said. "We tend to be the lowest in calories and the lowest in carbs. It's just because we use better ingredients [than our competitors]."

The smoothie chain's bright, colorful look and cheerful music will not detract from Nassau Street's historical small-town image, Herrick said. Renovation plans for the store, to be located at 166 Nassau St., keep the building's white exterior walls in place and were well-received by the Historic Preservation Review Committee at a meeting Wednesday.

Construction will start later this month and Pulaski hopes to open his doors by early July.

"It's such a beautiful town," Pulaski said. "I figured what better place in New Jersey than Princeton? The students are here, the shoppers are here, it's such a diverse crowd."

Pulaski said he envisions the shop as a place that will unite the community, whether customers choose to grab a smoothie on the go or sit back in comfortable chairs and enjoy free wireless internet.

Pulaski said he "plan[s] on being really involved in the community." He plans to contribute to school lunch programs, cater for local businesses, sponsor community events and get involved in the University's residential colleges' study breaks.

But Pulaski said he is not worried about other stores taking away business from Booster Juice. "There really isn't any other competition in the area," he said, though bakeries and restaurants abound.

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Gabrielle Carbone, the owner of The Bent Spoon ice cream shop and bakery, is not concerned by the new business.

Her ice cream shop, which uses organic sorbets and other ingredients like those in Booster Juice drinks, has a distinct local character that will retain loyal customers without necessarily discouraging people from buying smoothies.

"We're trying to use stuff that's local," she said. "We have such an independent spirit. [Princeton] people are so loyal to independence." Carbone uses the term "terroir," a French word meaning "the taste of the place," to describe her store's local connection.

Though unworried about the store's opening, Carbone said possible concern over franchises moving into Princeton has "little to do with competition and more to do with homogenization."

Booster Juice is a franchise that started with one store in Canada in 1999 and has grown to 171 worldwide. Though the majority of stores — about 150 — are in Canada, 16 are in the United States and the rest are in the Middle East.

"I'm telling you it's amazing," Herrick said of his experience watching the growth of the smoothie shops in Alberta. "It was below zero, but still a typical loyal customer will visit three to four times a week."