Intentions Juice & Smoothie Bar’s South Tacoma Way storefront may change ownership, but no sale has been completed. Founder Marquita Evans told The Tacoma News Tribune that two prospective buyers had contacted her about acquiring the business and the property at 5236 South Tacoma Way. Evans said any announcement would be posted on Instagram.
The storefront’s next step
Evans has said she would prefer a buyer to take over both the operation and the property rather than leave the space vacant. She told The News Tribune that the business had become difficult to sustain alongside her other responsibilities and that she planned to spend more time on herself and her daughter. Those details come from the Tribune’s interview, not from independent reporting by this publication: The Tacoma News Tribune.
What closed
The closure timeline reported by The News Tribune begins with September 6, which Evans identified as the shop’s final day under her ownership. The business’s Google listing changed to “temporarily closed” on September 9. Intentions opened in October 2020 and sold made-to-order juice, juice cleanses, smoothies, and smoothie bowls from the South Tacoma location.
Planning context for South Tacoma Way
The potential change comes as the surrounding corridor is covered by a recently adopted neighborhood plan. According to the City of Tacoma, the City Council adopted the South Tacoma Neighborhood Plan in June 2025, and several implementation actions remain underway. The plan covers the South Tacoma Business District and Mixed-Use Center around South Tacoma Way, roughly between South 47th and South 58th streets. City-identified implementation projects include corridor safety improvements, tree planting, and community events.
Neighborhood investments and business resources
The City of Tacoma says community members directed the South Tacoma Neighborhood Plan’s $50,000 booster grant toward tree planting and signature community events or programs for youth and seniors, according to the city’s plan page. For small-business support, Pierce County says its free, on-demand Business Skills program covers bookkeeping, tax reporting, business planning, business law, sales and marketing. The county also says Washington’s State Small Business Credit Initiative offers loans and equity investments—not grants—including revenue-based financing and support for owner-occupied commercial real estate: Pierce County.
A short-lived second location
Intentions later expanded to the Seattle area, opening a location near the International District. Evans said that site operated for about six months before closing in May 2024 after neighborhood conditions weakened the business. The News Tribune reported those details, while a December 2023 Comcast Business release described the company as operating in South Tacoma and Seattle and planning a third Tacoma location: The Tacoma News Tribune and Comcast Business.
Evans entered the juice business after working for about a decade as a surgical technician in Seattle. She also operated A-List Nanny Services, a childcare business established in 2008, according to profiles published by CanvasRebel Magazine and Brown Girls Brunch.
Intentions also hosted community-oriented activities beyond food and drinks, including healer events, tax-preparation sessions, homebuyer workshops, and poetry readings featuring work by incarcerated writers, according to Back2Besa. Whether those activities continue will depend on what happens with the storefront and any new operator.
