Adjacent to the excellent Miss Lily’s on Houston Street, is the new home of Melvin Major—the juice king of New York.
Melvin developed a celebrity-cult following during his years at Lifethyme Market a few blocks up Sixth Avenue, and, at the beginning of this year, finally broke away to open his own spot as part of the Miss Lily’s empire.
The space is located in the back of Miss Lily’s Variety, a shop that sells rare and influential Reggae vinyl along with posters and other memorabilia.
The store is as bright and happy as Melvin himself with blue-and-white tile floors, colorful peg menu boards and vintage tables and chairs.
The juices all have clever names like “Jamaican Green” and “Catch a Fire” and are all made using organic fruits and vegetables. We love “The Real V-8,” a mix of kale, collard greens, cabbage, red onion, red pepper, tomato, lemon, ginger, garlic, apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper.
Juices aside, the shakes are a personal favorite of ours. Unlike some big name places around town they aren’t watered-down with a ton of ice or made into sugary confections. The protein shakes aren’t just breakfast worthy—you may find yourself not wanting lunch either.
If you are still feeling peckish, the food menu has Jamaican staples like beef patties and jerk chicken, perfect to enjoy on the benches out front or at one of the tables in the presence of Melvin, working his magic.
Indeed, the best thing about the Juice Box is Melvin himself. He is simply a joy to be around, and maintains a smile the entire time you’re talking to him. He is passionate about the juice he makes, and has definitely worked hard to make sure each recipe is perfect.
When I asked for a picture he responded sternly “Five dollars!”, but after waiting a few seconds he flashed his blinding smile at me, let out a hearty laugh and told me to take as many as I wanted as he continued chopping away at lemons and beets.
We’re hoping Melvin stays right where he is this time, though now that we’ve discovered his addictive elixirs, we would probably follow him wherever he might go.
- Ryan
P.S. Enjoy your weekend! We are off to Montreal on Saturday a little mini-vacation next week. We’re taking the Amtrak up, which we’ve heard is gorgeous. Anyone ever done it?
