“McDonald’s isn’t
the only one that can have a playground.” This keen outlook inspired San Diego
native Nastasha McKeon, Founder and CEO of Choice Superfood Bar& Juicery located on the corner of Carlsbad Village Drive and State Street,
to transform her business into a village oasis. In less than a year, Nastasha’s
passion about creative alternatives is making a difference and transforming
Carlsbad into a better place. Not only does her business provide healthy food
choices, it serves as an active community space, hosting meetups, yoga classes,
music festival groups, and movie screenings. “Events are what drive community,
and businesses, and people,” Nastasha shared. We couldn’t agree more.
The City of Carlsbad, Circulate San Diego and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition announced recently the launch of Walk + Bike Carlsbad, a campaign to promote
walking and biking in Carlsbad. This 12-month effort, funded with a grant by
the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), will encourage more walking
and biking throughout the city, with a special emphasis on the Village, Barrio,
and beach strand areas. Like Nastasha, Walk + Bike Carlsbad values healthy
lifestyles, connectivity, sustainability and economic vitality.
Choice’s green
space features relaxed communal tables where people sit surrounded by
neighbors, trees, and family. Nastasha is a mom herself, raising two little
ones who attend local elementary schools. They walk there together. Making the
Village her home, Nastasha believes walkability and bicycling are essential to our
community and its future. In other areas of San Diego County, she noted, cars
dominate the streets. Since moving to the Village, Nastasha has discovered that
Carlsbad is a natural fit for active lifestyles, a place to run, surf, and ride
bikes with family. “There is something so amazing about life when you don’t
have to get into a car to go somewhere.”
This is our ideal
of “village life,” too. In addition to her welcoming enclave, Nastasha partners
with Carlsbad Inn, which offers a weekly walking tour stopping at Choice for
free samples of juices and smoothies. Nastasha has noticed a direct and
positive impact on business from this partnership. Nastasha looks forward to
participating in the Walk+Bike campaign as a fresh start to a New Year, an
opportunity to improve work culture at Choice, and a life-long goal to bring
positive change to her community. Let’s make this our resolution.
For more information about Walk + Bike Carlsbad, visit
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