Launching A Business During The PANDEMIC?

THEY DID IT -- BY HELPING EACH OTHER The Story Of Beejou Kombucha & River Oak Boutique

By Natalie Downey

Beejou Craft Kombucha and River Oak Boutique share a space on 1st Avenue in Uptown Columbus. The owners of these shops, Suhyoon Cho and Emma Ross, respectively, have come together not only to offer the community the goods they sell, but also to actively help other vendors introduce themselves and their products to the community.

When Suhyoon Cho first tasted kombucha, a fermented tea drink, she wasn’t impressed. After turning her back on it for several years, she finally Suhyoon Cho decided to give the beverage another try, and this time, she was intrigued.

Suhyoon Cho - owner Beejou Craft Kombucha

After her interest in kombucha grew, Suhyoon decided to make her first batch on a whim when someone offered her the materials to make it for free. She experimented with different flavors and was hooked. With a background in dietetics and an interest in chemistry, Suhyoon became a self-taught kombucha expert, and soon found that friends and family loved her product, requesting it more and more. Though she had never planned on opening a shop, when the opportunity presented itself, Suhyoon knew she had to take it. Today, known as the “Brew Witch,” Suhyoon brews and sells her own kombucha in her new shop, called Beejou Craft Kombucha, in Uptown Columbus.

While kombucha has been around for hundreds of years, many people are unfamiliar with it. This fermented, effervescent tea is known to be full of health benefits. Suhyoon says she has been pleasantly surprised with the supportive response the local community has given her shop. “We had no idea what to expect,” she says.

Beejou Craft Kombucha offers a variety of kombucha flavors, including four flagship flavors and two rotating flavors. Suhyoon collaborates with other local shops like Fountain City Coffee (1007 Broadway), Ride on Smoothies (1036 Broadway), and Maltitude (1031 Broadway) to create kombucha flavors that give a nod to the local community. Beejou offers flights of four ounce pours, 12 ounce pours, 12 ounce bottles, and 64 ounce growlers, as well as any flavor on tap.

With an appreciation for all the help she received as she started her business, Suhyoon has a passion for helping other local vendor start ups. Her shop hosts a vendor pop-up every Saturday featuring different vendors who aren’t ready for or able to afford a brick and mortar shop. “It’s something we do to support the community,” says Suhyoon, adding, “For me, it took a community to get here...people helped me all along the way.”

Another passion Suhyoon has is for bringing glass bottle recycling back to Columbus. Because Columbus does not offer this service, she has to travel to Atlanta to recycle glass. She is currently gathering signatures on a petition for this cause, which can be found on her instagram page @beejou.kombucha

corner of 1204 1st Ave, Columbus - where both shops are located.

River Oak Boutique can be found right next to Beejou Craft Kombucha, separated by a partition, but sharing the same space. Owner Emma Ross also shares Suhyoon Cho’s passion for giving back to the community and helping other local vendors get the word out about their products.

Emma began working in a boutique as a teen, managing it and essentially running it by time she was 20 when the owner was away. Knowing she wanted to eventually open her own boutique, Emma worked to save up the money.

She started out with an online shop and hosted trunk shows before opening her first storefront shop, River Oak, in Old Town in Columbus. In May of this year the opportunity arose for her to move the Boutique to Uptown Columbus, and she took it.

Emma Ross - owner River Oak Boutique

Although opening a shop during a worldwide pandemic doesn’t seem ideal, Emma and Suhyoon both are grateful for the support of the community. “The response has been great,” says Emma, “My customers are amazing.”

While the community’s response to the opening of these two new shops has been better than expected, some people still aren’t comfortable leaving their homes to shop in a boutique. For these people Emma offers her online shop, www.shopriveroak.com, which includes free shipping or free local delivery.

Since moving to Uptown Columbus, River Oak has expanded to meet an even larger customer base. Emma takes pride in her shop’s slogan, “A boutique for all women,” and carries a variety of styles from athletic, to date night, to formal during certain seasons. “I like getting pieces you can’t find anywhere else,” Emma says, adding that she only orders a select amount of each piece, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Along with Beejou Craft Kombucha, River Oak hosts vendor pop ups every Saturday. They also host vendor nights once a month to focus on other small businesses that can’t yet afford a space of their own. On these nights they clear out the store and give the floor to the vendor being showcased.

Support for the local community is important to Emma, and in addition to the apparel she carries in her shop, she features locally made, handcrafted purses and jewelry, and locally made candles and beauty products. “I try to stay as local as possible,” Emma explains. By carrying unique pieces made by people in the community, Emma is helping local entrepreneurs sell their items, and she’s also providing one-of-a-kind products to her customers.

Supporting one another, especially during the difficult and uncertain times this year has brought us, only makes our community stronger. Local entrepreneurs add their own unique and personal fibers to the tapestry of our community, and the more we help them succeed, the more rich in colorful contributions our community will become.

Beejou Craft Kombucha and River Oak Boutique are located at 1204 First Avenue in Columbus.