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By EMILY SPARACINO | Special to the Reporter

CHELSEA – The owners of a Mt Laurel business known for its energy drinks and smoothies will open a second location in Chelsea this summer.

SoCal Smoothie Company will open in the former location of Chelsea Coffee House off U.S. 280, according to owner Allen Corrigan, who expressed excitement about expanding his business to a space with which many people are already familiar.

“That’s kind of an iconic place for Chelsea,” Corrigan said. “When it closed, it left a gap in something that Chelsea needs. We will be remodeling to make it look a little more like our concept, so it will be different, but people will still understand it’s the (former) Chelsea Coffee House location.”

Corrigan opened the first SoCal Smoothie Company location in a space several doors down from Area 41 Pizza in Mt Laurel in October 2021.

A native of southern California, Corrigan grew up dreaming of opening a surf shop with “SoCal” in the name.

Although he never opened a surf shop, Corrigan found an opportunity to use the name as a nod to his West Coast roots.

Corrigan, who also works as a full-time real estate agent, said the idea of opening a smoothie store came from seeing one of his friends work with a similar business concept.

Plans for Corrigan’s business fell into place quickly—so quickly, in fact, that the time between signing his lease for the space in Mt Laurel and opening the store after a brief build-out period was only 65 days.

“I wanted to diversify where all my money was coming in, not just one stream of income,” Corrigan said. “This was a fun concept, and I felt like I could make this into something, building a brand. So far, it’s been outrageously successful for me.”

When the store first opened, it was called SoCal Nutrition and featured mostly powdered protein shakes. After encountering challenges with the product, such as cost, Corrigan decided to rebrand the business at the beginning of 2023 as SoCal Smoothie Company.

“We switched up the name to incorporate smoothies into it,” he said. “We redefined ourselves.”

Corrigan shifted his focus from protein shakes to smoothies and flavored energy drinks, called CALnetic Energy Drinks.

“We’re known for our energy drinks,” Corrigan said. “They’re clean energy—no chemicals, just good flavorings. As long as it’s clean caffeine, you don’t get the crash afterward.”

Corrigan said SoCal offers a range of smoothie flavors, from fruity to sweet, including chocolate, salted caramel and peanut butter cup.

The lineup also includes healthy options, some of which have no sugar added and no dairy.

In addition to what is currently offered in Mt Laurel, the new Chelsea store will have cold brew coffee and iced latte drinks, Corrigan said.

He is also contemplating offering a selection of healthy, quick food items since the Chelsea location is already equipped to accommodate food.

Corrigan and his family have lived in Alabama since 2003 and moved to Chelsea in 2015.

His business partner for the Chelsea location of SoCal Smoothie Company is Chelsea resident Mark Peacock.

They are aiming to open the Chelsea store, located at 16688 U.S. 280, during the first half of June, Corrigan said.

With even more future growth in mind, Corrigan is eager to see how the Chelsea location will be received by the community.

“I feel like I have a really great brand,” he said. “It’s a recognizable brand. It came together so fast and so perfectly, it was almost like it was destined to become larger than anyone would expect.”

For updates on the grand opening of the Chelsea location, follow SoCal Smoothie Company on Facebook and Instagram.