Gem in the Works

Juice bar pioneer plants second location at bustling Dallas intersection

Pioneering juice bar and healthy-food favorite The Gem has a new location in the works, at one of Dallas' busiest intersections: Preston Road and Forest Lane. According to owner Leslie Needleman, the second branch will open in mid- to late February, at the northwest corner in what used to be Muzzies Dressy Dresses.

Where other juice bars have come and gone, The Gem has prevailed.

"The month after we opened our first branch at Preston Center, people were already asking, 'Are you going to open another location?'" Needleman says. "We feel like opening a branch in the Preston-Forest area is something we can manage really well. That area was actually on our list before we opened our first location."

"[Preston-Forest] was actually on our list before we opened our first location," says Gem owner Leslie Needleman.

The Gem's real first location was a shop-within-a-shop, inside Duo, the high-end kitchen supply shop from Shinsei owners Tracy Rathbun and Lynae Fearing. When it closed in 2013, the juice bar moved to its own standalone space in Preston Center.

Taking over a former dress shop meant building plumbing facilities, and the space is much bigger than Preston Center. "We'll have more disco balls," Needleman quips.

They'll do the same menu of juices, smoothies, salads, soups, hummus and other healthful snacks. "We are 100 percent organic," Needleman says. "Nothing that we serve is something we don't believe in. Our recipes are not only consistent, but also have some health and therapeutic value."

They're also big on service.

"We have created a community," she says. "We know people's names and know what they order. And we try to make it easy. Preston Center is a challenge, but we've created an app and can run what you order out to you."

They do two kinds of juices. The first is made to order in a blender, where you can specify what you want, to be consumed immediately. The second is a cold-pressed juice, made in a big press, which you can take to go.

"Cold-press juices are more nutrient dense and yield richer enzyme concentration," she says. "The enzymes are good for 72 hours, so you are able to take them with you and they're more easily incorporated into your day.

"I like to say that the juices made to order are an A, and a cold-press juice is an A+."

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Shining bright

The Gem juice bar shakes into Uptown Dallas, complete with disco ball

Photo courtesy of The Gem

The Gem Juice Bar is now open in Uptown Dallas.

An organic juice bar with a disco ball and a following in Dallas has opened a third location, this one in Uptown: The Gem Organic Food and Juice Bar is now serving juices, smoothies, and fresh food at Rosewood Court, 2101 Cedar Springs Rd., R115, next to Flower Child.

Co-owned by Leslie Needleman and Mary Kathryn Bass, The Gem first opened near Lovers Lane and Inwood before moving into its first dedicated space in Preston Center on Luther Lane in 2013. A second location at Forest Lane and Preston Road followed in 2015.

“We call this new location our 'Hidden Gem; Uptown customers had been asking for a closer shop for years,” Needleman says. “The area also brings steady office and hotel traffic, and for years, we've wanted to bring The Gem lifestyle into new parts of Dallas.”

The Gem Juice Bar The juice is organic and cold-pressed fresh daily.Photo courtesy of The Gem

The self-described “disco soul sisters” built the business around organic food and juice, with a colorful, upbeat atmosphere to match. Their interest in wellness has personal roots. In 2009, Needleman was diagnosed with breast cancer. During her recovery, she explored organic juice, clean food, and a plant-based, anti-inflammatory diet. Bass shared her interest in a wellness-focused lifestyle centered on mind, body, and spirit.

That philosophy informs the menu, which has featured ingredients such as maca, housemade cashew milk, and kale since the business launched in 2012. The juice is organic, cold-pressed fresh daily, and is not treated with high-pressure processing, or HPP, a method commonly used to extend shelf life.

“Gem juice lasts days, not weeks, because we refuse to trade fresh flavor, nutrients, and enzymes for a longer shelf life,” Bass says.

The menu is free of refined sugars, gluten, dairy, artificial ingredients, seed oils, and GMOs. Bestsellers include the Green Glow, made with kale, cucumber, lemon, apple, and ginger; the Golden Glow, a blend of turmeric, lemon, orange, ginger, and cardamom; and the Ruby Slipper, made with beet, ginger, and carrot. The Green Glow was the shop's first recipe and remains a favorite.

The Gem Juice Bar The shop serves soup, too.Photo courtesy of The Gem

Other offerings include French press coffee, cold brew, matcha, smoothies, and protein drinks. Fresh food prepared daily includes soups such as lentil, mushroom vegetable purée, and immunity bone broth; along with salads, hummus, protein bars, and chocolate mousse made with raw cacao, avocado, and chia seeds.

The 1,000-square-foot Uptown shop follows the same colorful formula as the other locations, with a disco ball overhead and upbeat music. There's a front counter, a refrigerated grab-and-go case for busy locals and hotel guests, and seating at individual and communal tables.

“We believe that a healthy lifestyle can be sexy and fun; every Gem has a disco ball turning overhead, walls alive with color, and a soundtrack that makes it nearly impossible not to shimmy while waiting for your smoothie,” Bass says. “Healthy living should feel joyful, vibrant, and energizing.”

The Gem Uptown is open 7:30 am-6 pm Monday-Friday and 8 am-4 pm Saturday. It's closed Sunday.

juice bar matcha drinks organic food health uptown dallas