Tucked along the stretch of Route 60 is one of the area’s few smoothie businesses: Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar, or just “Pulp” to the regulars. While not a local business, the location offers its own personal touch to the community.
Pulp offers an array of smoothies, juices, wraps, wellness shots and bowls. Their menu includes popular combinations like chocolate peanut butter, strawberry banana and berry as well as new flavors, like beet, matcha and spirulina (not all in the same smoothie, of course).
“We have a lot of options,” Owner Michael Cusman said. “We have over 30 smoothies. We also have chicken and turkey wraps as well as fruit bowls, like acai bowls and dragon fruit bowls.”
Cusman first opened the business in January 2022 after moving from Cleveland. The company is headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio.
“When I first had the idea in mind that I wanted to open up a Pulp, I was living around Cleveland, and if I wanted to have one on my own, I was going to have to move,” Cusman said.
As he was looking for a location, Cusman’s brother-in-law, Robert Smith, bought and moved his own business, Roberts Running and Walking Shop, into a Route 60 building. The building included an additional space that he offered to Cusman.
“I didn’t know exactly where I wanted to go, and everything just kind of fell into place at the right time,” Cusman said.
Despite having the space, the business and the staff, Cusman was still concerned about one thing: customer attraction. As a location squeezed between a Taco Bell, Guthrie’s and KFC, he wasn’t sure smoothies would have the crowd they deserved.
“There weren’t really many juice and smoothie bars in the area, so not only were we bringing a new brand, but an entirely new concept to Huntington,” Cusman said, “and I’ve noticed that people, for the most part, are very appreciative.”
The opening of Pulp in the Huntington area offered new and healthy foods for people — many of whom adopted it into their weekly routines. One such regular is Marshall student and member of the Women’s Soccer team, Katie McCutcheon. She visits Pulp at least once per week with her teammates, sometimes more.
“When they had the seasonal for Thanksgiving, I was getting the Pumpkin pie, and I would get that maybe three times per week, but now, I usually get the Mango Bomb,” McCutcheon said.
As a busy college student and athlete, McCutcheon highly values the speed and service she receives from Pulp.
“Their service is so good all the time. There’s the owner, and he’s so kind and sometimes memorizes our orders, and he always asks how we’re doing. He’s super quick with the service, and then they always get the smoothies out really fast,” McCutcheon said.
It is this atmosphere that Cusman cherishes as well.
“We always seem to have good people working in Pulp that make working enjoyable and fun,” Cusman said, “and we have a lot of regular customers that we see on pretty much a daily basis, and we’ve been able to form some pretty good relationships.”
The staff and customer population include many Marshall students and teams.
“About half our staff goes to Marshall, … and we also do a lot of big smoothie orders for the Marshall Football team and the Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams,” Cusman said.
Pulp is located at 5258 U.S. Route 60. It is currently featuring a Spirulina smoothie for lovers of the tropics that includes pineapple, banana and peach.
Claire Johnson can be contacted at [email protected].
