Smoothie Move: Career Change Makes Life 'More Fun' for Paradise Owner

When Justin Nola's sister-in-law opened the in Frankfort, he thought running a smoothie shop looked fun. 

It looked so fun, in fact, that Nola pursued opening a Paradise franchise of his own, intending it to be a side operation. Three years ago, Nola opened the second Illinois  location, choosing New Lenox because of all the young families here. 

Now he runs the shop full time and does consulting on the side; previous to his career as smoothie entrepreneur, Nola was a full-time mechanical engineer. 

"I took a big pay cut, but this is definitely more fun," Nola said.

Nola has two children, ages 4 and 8, who you might occasionally see in the store. But you won't see his wife, who works for one of the big banks in downtown Chicago. "She has a real job," Nola said, laughing. 

It's not uncommon for whole families or groups of five or six friends to come in and all order smoothies, each with different ingredients, which Nola whips up with impressive quickness. He has four blender bases and eight pitchers and saves time by not writing anything down. "It has become automatic," he said.

Taelor Dorsey, who lives in Country Club Hills, occasionally takes a drive to New Lenox just for a Paradise smoothie. Dorsey originally found out about Paradise Smoothie from the store's Facebook page, which mentions specials and occasional events, such as live music. 

"I like the pineapple smoothie mainly because it isn't too chunky or too grainy, like some other smoothies I get elsewhere. It's also not tangy," she said. "A pineapple smoothie is a great way to cool off or wind down after work," she adds. 

Nola is often the only one working at the shop, although he does employ a few part-time employees who come in during the busiest afternoon hours. Nola opens the shop at noon daily.

"I used to open at 6 a.m., " Nola said, "but it wasn't worth it. I didn't even sell much coffee in the morning. When people think 'Paradise,' they think smoothies."

Getting necessary ingredients was a logistical nightmare for Nola when he had a 6 a.m. open. Because his ingredients spoil quickly, he has to buy frequent small quantities, so he can't go through a restaurant supplier. These days, he does his shopping in the morning, stopping at a grocery store or two every day for various fruits and sometimes vegetables on his way into work. He also buys fresh ingredients at farmers markets whenever possible, and he encourages customers to ask if he's got any special ingredients that day not listed on the board.

His part-timers will get more hours than usual this coming weekend. Not only will the shop be open its regular hours, but Paradise will be selling smoothies at . This will be his third year there, and although it's hectic running back and forth between the store and the festival with ingredients, Nola is looking forward to it because he enjoys meeting people and seeing his customers in a different environment. Don't expect a full menu at the festival; Nola is only able to provide three or four of the most popular smoothie flavors because of space limitations.

As for the future, Nola knows that he has his degree and experience in mechanical engineering to fall back on, but for now he's enjoying the smoothie business. 

• Address: 1938 E. Lincoln Hwy. Suite 110, New Lenox
• Phone: 815-485-8400
• Facebook: Like Paradise on Facebook and be in the know about specials and special events.
• Patch Places: See and write your own review.
• The Best Smoothie: The Paradise location in Frankfort happens to be the winner of a recent Chowdown Showdown challenge.