Today we’d like to introduce you to Chrystal Johnson.
Hi Chrystal, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My small business started back in October 2022. It was one of those things that I wasn’t directly searching for, but it came naturally. I kept saying yes to small opportunities and eventually, it brought me to owning and running a full-fledged Mocktail/Drink restaurant.
Last October, I had been married for a little over a year and I found myself not knowing who I was or who I wanted to be. I accidentally distanced myself from all my friends, and I felt very lonely. On top of that, I was incredibly burned out because I was a business owner of a struggling marketing agency and I undercharged for my work and overworked myself to try to make up the difference. All I could think to myself was” “I just want a way to have fun and make money having fun”.
One of my clients at the time owned a collective eatery and was thinking about throwing some sort of soda shop behind their beautiful bar front. Where they saw a simple place to sell any drink — I saw a vision. I saw people gathering around this bar front with drinks inspired by the complexity of cocktails (but without the alcohol) and hanging out for hours just like people would at a bar. I had made mocktails once or twice for friends and parties and offered to cater a small event for them for free. It seemed like a good fit, so I kept making mocktails on the weekends for them.
Two to three months later, I made a proposition to take it on officially as my own business. Even though there wasn’t a ton of money at that time, I found this business to be my answer. I had so much fun creating recipes and interacting with guests. I found myself loving other people again; I found myself loving myself again too.
In February, a small foodie influencer, Brecken (@utahchefskiss) made a collaborative reel with us, and… it felt like it just wouldn’t stop getting views! It reached about half a million views (combined from Instagram and TikTok). All of a sudden, we went from serving maybe a few dozen drinks on weekends to having a line out the door. It became my husband and I’s full-time job overnight! It was one of the most incredible times of my life and I will never forget all the people that came to support our small business.
However, about 3 months later, several unfortunate events fell upon our business. We were still thriving and growing each month, but there were things outside of our control that caused us to shut our doors very unexpectedly. All of a sudden, all the results of our hard work halted. My husband and I lost our jobs as we looked for a new lease and new opportunities. We still did pop-ups, catering, and The Provo Farmers Market, but it was nothing like having a physical location.
We remained without a place for our business from May to August. In September of this year (2023) we signed a new lease! It was all ours! We moved into the restaurant space at The Village at South Campus (an apartment complex near BYU)! We’re now open and mixing drinks again and we even partnered with the brand, Bun Boiz, to have some food in our space.
To be completely honest, reopening and regaining all the momentum we once had is a bigger challenge than I expected. But every day I am grateful that this passion project lives on and has a fighting chance to be a big part of Provo – and maybe the whole world someday.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Entrepreneurship has taught me this: -Negative things outside of your control will happen to you and impact your business
-As a business owner, there might be times you collaborate with people who come across desperate times of their own situation and how they react can hurt themselves, you, or people around you. It’s something I haven’t really seen before and it can be hard to prepare for or prevent.
-Burning bridges and setting boundaries is sometimes the only way to protect what you’ve worked so hard for.
-You will see the best and worst sides of people.
-Sometimes you don’t know what the key to success is (or even was in past situations) and it can take a lot of failing forward to find it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We bring the positive sides of Cocktail and Bar Culture without the alcohol for anyone who doesn’t want to drink — even if that’s just for the evening, a phase of life, or forever.
We’re known for our unique recipes/renditions of popular Mocktails, like “Peach on the Beach” or “Raspberry Rosè”.
We specialize in drinks that are “Cocktail Inspired and (mostly) Fruit Juice based”.
We have an approach of helping people come from a soda culture to a Mocktail Culture (since most of Provo is underaged or is not used to drinking), encouraging people to “Drink Differently”.
We love to bring the social aspect of cocktails and bars to events.
Pricing:
- Our drinks range from $3.75 – $6.00
- Catering is $6 per head
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thevibemocktails.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevibe_mocktails/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-vibe-mocktails-virgin-bar-provo
- Other: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJn0W2PmVpEwfel99KrJlU1WCwKm_kS8654STjkeqmAO34Aw/viewform
Image Credits
Kelsey Sandoval, Kyland Ochsenbein, and Joel
