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Preparing For Life After Football

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By ANWAR S. RICHARDSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 11, 2007

Updated: 11/10/2007 11:33 pm

CLEARWATER - There was not a day last summer that Joey Galloway did not spend in his kitchen with a blender, ice and hundreds of ingredients, trying to concoct a never-before-tasted smoothie drink.

Galloway and lifelong friend Michael Youssef had previously decided to open their own smoothie store, but instead of buying a franchise, the two decided to start their store from scratch. That meant creating original smoothies.

"It got crazy to a point, because of course I go to Ohio in the offseason, and when I was in town we would be in the kitchen for hours making smoothies," Galloway said. "Then it would get so crazy, he would call me, or I would call him from Ohio, and we would talk about the different things we bought from the grocery store. Through that, we came up with smoothies across the board.

"We honestly came up with every single smoothie at our store."

The process was so overwhelming, Galloway would eat bags of potato chips daily to cleanse the smoothie taste from his mouth before drinking another sample.

Those months of creations became a flavorsome reality when Galloway's Smoothie Junction Nutrition Outlet opened near Drew Street and U.S. 19 in Clearwater on Sept. 10. His store can be found nestled within a barbershop, mortgage company, dry cleaners and telephone store in the Campus Walk Plaza.

In addition to owning Smoothie Junction, Galloway also owns a landscaping company in Ohio and is part-owner of the Columbus Destroyers Arena Football League team.

Although most players wait until they are retired to go into business ventures, the 35-year-old Galloway explained, "I may never stop playing" and saw no need to delay his endeavors.

"For my first seven or eight years of playing, the thinking for me was I didn't want to do anything. I wanted to completely focus on football," Galloway said. "In the past few years, as I start to get mature in years of playing football, it's inevitable that you have to do other things. It's a blessing to have the opportunity to do things you enjoy to do. Anybody would love to have that option, and I've been blessed with that option."

Galloway is known as a brilliant, but not flashy, receiver, and Smoothie Junction perfectly reflects his personality.

There is a rack of No. 84 Bucs jerseys at the entrance of his store, with numerous vitamins and supplements on each wall. For customers who have more intricate supplemental needs than the knowledge of his five employees, there is a computer located in the lobby to research what will be most helpful.

In the back of Galloway's store is a lounge area with high top tables, small chairs, a flat screen television, and a large poster of his customary touchdown muscle flex.

Another interesting touch: The Smoothie Junction menu has a flat-screen television placed within it.

Galloway and Youssef developed three different smoothie categories - Junction Smoothies (healthy), Candyland Dessert Smoothie (sweet), and Real Fruit and Specialty Smoothies. The most popular smoothie sold is Chocolate Peanut Butter; employee Ben Bernard said Banana Berry is also a strong seller.

"I come in here three or four times a week and I like the Peanut Butter Cup," customer Brian Stacy said. "I know it's Joey Galloway, but if it didn't taste good, I wouldn't come here."

Even though Smoothie Junction has only been open for two months, word of mouth is traveling very quickly about the newest tasty treat.

"I saw a couple of the guys at the car lot always had it, so I decided to give it a try," said Clearwater Toyota salesman Tim "Huggy" Haugabrook, who was making his first visit to the store and tried a Banana Berry. "I like it. It tastes really good. I will come back."

Reactions like those are what Galloway hopes will help Smoothie Junction expand; he plans to open a store off Gunn Highway in Tampa within 50 days and a third location in Lutz in April.

While it would have been easy for Galloway to attach his name to the store for instant recognition, he hopes the countless hours spent creating new smoothies will be the only identification customers need. He spends his downtime in the store working behind the counter and makes sure employees pour him a sample of every smoothie made, which Galloway tastes to ensure its quality.

Galloway has yet to create a "Fountain of Youth" smoothie for those competitors in his age bracket or higher, but there is no telling how many hours he will spend working on that recipe this summer.

"I can't say it's in here, but we're working on it," Galloway said with a laugh. "When we come up with that mix, we'll make sure to get it out there."

IF YOU GO

What: Smoothie Junction Nutrition Outlet

Where: 2551 Drew Street, Suite 209, Clearwater

Of note: Part owned by Bucs receiver Joey Galloway
Menu (small sampling of Galloway's smoothies): York, Butterfinger, Oreo, Mint Chocolate Chip, Hawaiian Pie, Berry Medley, Mango, Banana Berry, Citrus Blast, Island Escape, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Green Tea.

Contact: (727) 799-1915

Reporter Anwar S. Richardson can be reached at (813) 259-8425 or arichardson@tampatrib.com

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