Over on North Monroe Street there’s an intimate spot where people can escape and recharge with the help of “kava, botanicals, boba, local faves and other non-boozy drinks.”
Oasis Kava Bar, a tea room style hangout, celebrated one year of operation in the capital city on May 3 with a “giant party.” They used the celebratory time to launch their first ever pop-up market accompanied by raffles, giveaways and tunes from DJ Ryan Lunar.
Owner Macy Collins, 30, says she’s been “living the dream” as the business marks its first year.
Collins, originally from Ohio, says she fell in love with both kava and Tallahassee over the last decade.
“I’ve been in the kava community for like 10 years now and I first started working at Kavakaze in like 2017 and I just fell in love with it,” Collins said. “It’s such a cool community. It means a lot. It helps a lot of people.”
In case you haven’t heard too much about it, kava is made from the root of the kava (Piper methysticum) shrub. The shrub is “known for producing calming, relaxing, and mildly euphoric effects without alcohol,” according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation. It is commonly used to reduce stress, anxiety, chronic pain and insomnia.
Collins said a friend put her onto kava to help manage her pain after an ankle reconstruction.
Kratom, on the other hand, is a plant whose leaves contain compounds that can affect the brain and body. It comes from a tree related to the coffee family and is consumed for its psychoactive effects, which vary significantly depending on the dosage.
“It just kind of helps you live your best life naturally and give you something other than drinking to go out and do in town,” Collins said. “We just try to make kava more enjoyable for people to try something new.”
The passion for this plant quickly turned into purpose.
Collins knew then, “this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Planting roots in Midtown
Before settling into Tallahassee, Collins lived in Tampa, a city she refers to as the “mecca of Kava bars.”
Instead of going back to Tampa, she saw an opportunity to establish a local spot.
So she took her experience in working at the other kava bar and bartending and fused them together to create a “different and fresh” ambiance at Oasis Kava Bar.
“This place just kind of fell in my lap,” she said about her Midtown bar that sits in the same plaza as Stix Pool & Bar, across the street from Bruegger’s Bagels. “I really like Tallahassee. I think Tallahassee is a cool place to live, close to kind of everything. I was like, I think I’d rather have the more small town vibe than trying to get it noticed in a new city.”
A decision she feels is paying off.
She says everyone here “is always so welcoming and kind, and you meet people from all walks of life.”
What to expect
The door is wide open when you visit, so don’t be shy. Just walk right in and you’ll feel the vibes immediately.
When asked what Collin’s inspiration was for all the groovy decor in the space, she iterated that she wanted guests to “feel like you were hanging out at your cool friend’s house,” and that’s the exact vibe you get when you dive inside.
“It’s kind of like a reflection of me,” she said. “I just wanted you to come in and relax and feel like an oasis from whatever is going on out there.”
There’s lots of character inside this intimate space. A gallery wall filled with all kinds of psychedelic, whimsical paintings in different shapes and sizes fill the wall sitting above the row of half-booths. There’s a cozy corner you can chill and work, or play games they provide in store like chess or “TallahasseeOpoly.”
The bar and service counter is the main draw for the space where you can find the menu fashioned by Collins. She says through trial and error she’s come up with a “really delicious” menu of both kava and kratom drinks.
“It’s an homage to how it all kind of started. So circle back to our roots,” she said.
What’s brewing next
The first year has been an exciting, steady one for the entrepreneur. The year featured “specialTeas” made with fruit and syrup blends rolling out frequently, as well as community gatherings like craft, movie and Jeopardy nights all bringing people together.
Collins hopes that she will continue to invest into Oasis Kava Bar and create opportunities to give back to the community that has supported her during this adventure. She’s brainstorming a nonprofit initiative, but will get those details later.
“Hopefully we just keep moving forward,” she said.
If you go
What: Oasis Kava Bar
When: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily
Where: 1223 N. Monroe St.
Other kava spots in town
Midtown Kava Lounge: 1700 N. Monroe St.; 850-666-2724; Facebook
Kavakaze: 1600 W. Call St.; 850-565-9955
Kameleon Kava & Coffee: 626-4 Railroad Square; Instagram
This article includes previously reported information. Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com. You can also email your suggestions for a future TLH Eats restaurant profile.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee’s Oasis Kava Bar marks one year of non-boozy drinks
Reporting by Kyla A Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
