There’s a new smoothie bar in town, and it didn’t take long for it to become a fan favorite around here! Jenny Jo’s has been popping up around Glens Falls this summer and drawing a crowd in each location. We chatted with owner Haley Gerarde to find out a bit more about how Jenny Jo’s came to be, what inspired the name, and where to find her next!
First, tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Haley Gerarde. I am a daughter, sister, wife, mom, Lake George enthusiast, and now, business owner. Growing up in and around Lake George, I grew to love it, so I put most of my volunteer efforts into the Lake George Land Conservancy, which protects the land that protects the lake. In my free time, hiking their preserves is my go-to (The Pinnacle is a favorite, and Amy’s Park is a hidden gem).
Through high school and college, I felt like I wanted to be a business owner of some sort, or at least a manager. My dad and Michael Murray, of Adirondack Trust Company (who often came as a guest speaker to our high school business classes), will say that owning a food truck of some sort was one of my life goals.
How did Jenny Jo’s come about?
The pop-up camper that Jenny Jo’s does business out of was previously known as The Smoothie Shoppe. From the time our daughter JoJo was born, we had been drinking (and loving) their smoothies, and I had been following along on their personal journey as well.
Flash forward a few years, and the couple that owned The Smoothie Shoppe decided they were going to sell the camper that they had gutted and re-purposed into a smoothie truck. I messaged them for more info, mentioned it to my husband, but didn’t think of it as a real possibility (with two littles, it’s sometimes hard to think of what you would want, it’s more about what would work with them. Or at least for me this was the case). My husband encouraged me to just go for it. It was as if the mantras I had lived by until that point were coming out of his mouth to encourage me. So, we bought it. Using their old signage and name briefly, it felt a little like I was working for them, not creating my own story. We just went through with a re-brand and it officially feels like mine, and man does that feel good!
What inspired the name?
It’s been a few years since that dream of owning a food truck while I was in high school, and since then I have been blessed with two healthy & beautiful daughters, Genevieve (“Jenny”) and Josephine (“Jo”). They are my motivation to follow my dreams — to have the confidence to give it a shot, and the humility to admit when I make a mistake with it. I think that growing up watching parents who work hard is important, but parents who are happy doing what they do leaves an even bigger impression. After all, it is what I want most for them - to live a happy life. I think the best way to foster that is to live one myself, and let me tell ya, this gig is fun.
From watching the pride in JoJo’s face the first day I backed the trailer in, to working alongside my husband (and having him become a better blender than I am), to having Jo on the truck for a full shift with me serving up each smoothie that was ordered, to watching her bop around the Glens Falls Farmers Market with her “tokens” we’ve earned for her to go spend on fresh honey, fresh produce, or fresh flowers…it has all just been so rewarding.
So, long story short, it’s named after them — our “why”.
Tell us about your offerings!
Every smoothie that we offer is a perfect blend of nutritious and delicious. Truly. Our smoothies have no added sugars, are dairy and gluten free, contain no ice or water (what flavor suckers!) and each one includes its own “superfood” to offer consumers some added health benefits, such as goji berries, chia seeds, or fresh ginger. We also try to use produce from local vendors when we can. Right now we are getting our spinach from other vendors at each of our markets on the weekends.
There is a smoothie (or shake) for everyone. The difference between the two is that our smoothies have a 100% fruit juice base, and our shakes have an almond milk base. For the plain old strawberry banana folks, our “Righteous Red” is a spin on that traditional flavor, with goji berries and a bit of peach added to it. If you are more of a peanut butter lover, you’d enjoy our “Muscle Monkey” or “Mochaspresso”.
Are there any customer favorites on your menu? What’s your favorite?
This is a tricky question! Last month we did a “Rhuby Red” special, which included honey from Pleasant Valley Apiary, and rhubarb from either Butternut Ridge Farm or Fresh Take Farm depending on the week, and that was a huge hit. It’s always so much fun watching customers try a new flavor.
It is always hard helping people make a choice on what to get, because our “Purple Power” (like a mixed berry) and “Righteous Red” are our most popular smoothies, but our “Rhymes with Orange” is my personal favorite. If you are a coffee lover, our “Mochaspresso” is for you, but our “Muscle Monkey” is my husbands favorite, and “The Buddha” is definitely underrated! Now you understand how I’m not helpful in the least with choosing what to order!
How do you come up with the recipes?
A lot of the time a new recipe idea is sparked when I am craving something particular, or a customer wants something particular that ends up inspiring me. For the specials, I try to highlight a new vendors product each time.
What are some of the most rewarding aspects of being a small business owner? And the challenges?
The most rewarding is definitely the feeling of “I did that” (and hearing the little one “mommy you did it!”). As for the challenges, I am not particularly handy, and you kind of need to be for a gig like this, so it has been challenging to learn that aspect of things, but also a blessing because it gets my dad over to our house more.
What’s next for Jenny Jo’s?
Next up is a ribbon cutting (August 10th with the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce), employee appreciation days (give us a call if you want to treat your employees to a little something special before summer comes to an end!) and navigating winter as a mobile food truck without walls (and with freezers…bbrrrrr). Stay tuned via our Instagram or Facebook pages to be the first to know how you can still snag a smoothie through the winter.
Where can people find you?
So many options! Each week we pop up at the Shirt Factory for their Food Truck Corral on Thursday nights from 4:30 until 8pm. On Fridays we pop up on Maple Street outside of City Park from 8am until noon, and on Saturdays we are on South Street for the Glens Falls Farmers Market from 8am-noon. On Sundays we travel down to Saratoga for the Spa City Farmers Market which takes place outside of the Lincoln Baths from 10am until 2pm.
