Two coworkers who turned friends and now business partners, Arielle Nelson and Toledo Hill, are breathing fresh air into the neighborhood of Avondale with their nostalgia-filled and deliciously fun
Saturday Morning Vibes Cereal Bar.
Their location recently opened in the Avondale Town Center. “A space we weren’t even thinking about,” says Nelson. “We looked in OTR and Walnut Hills because of everything else around there, but we are so lucky to be where we are.”
When Arielle first suggested the idea of bringing a cereal bar to Cincinnati, Toledo wasn’t so sure. His concerns about not being in a bigger city like Los Angeles, where they first saw the concept of a cereal bar, were quickly silenced by her responding, “Why CAN’T we do this?”
“This city is growing! People want to come to Cincinnati and there isn’t anything like this here!” Two hours later Toledo said, “Okay. Yes, I’m in.”
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Saturday Morning Vibes co-founder, Arielle Nelson with Mayor Pureval.Three days after that they had a business plan drawn up. With support from the African American Chamber of Cincinnati, Saturday Morning Vibes started to do pop-ups around town in 2020. The community reaction was positive, so they decided to apply to the MORTAR Cincinnati program, which helps business ideas get off the paper and into action.
They were selected, and that allowed them to win the “reFRESH” grant, which they used at Ikea to help furnish parts of their shop, such as the kids’ corner and the bathrooms.
Finding the right space took some time, but they opened their doors on December 3. The outpouring of support from people like the Chamber, Urban League, and the owners of the Avondale Town Center have made this all possible.
“Let me tell you,” says Ms. Bertha as she puts on gloves to start closing up the cereal boxes. “We have needed something like this here for a really long time. Like she [Arielle Nelson] said, there’s a food desert here. I used to wake up at 6 a.m. just to catch the bus for a cup of coffee at a gas station in Norwood. I don’t have to do that anymore. The community is so excited that they’re here.”
“We want this to be a safe space for the community,” chimes in Nelson. “We want you to come here and just relax. Have some cereal and watch your favorite cartoons like you used to. We want the kids to be able to come here and actually get to be kids.”
They certainly make sure you get to be with ample ways to play games, throwback music, and off-market cereal you probably didn’t even know existed to mix with the staples. The energy in the place is palpable as the two new entrepreneurs bounce ideas off of one another for all the plans they have in store. It’s impossible to not be excited right along with them. Personally, I can’t decide if I’m more excited for the coming mimosas and cereal milkshakes or all the events they’re cooking up.
You can keep up with them on their
Instagram and
Facebook pages to stay up to date on upcoming events and special announcements. Then make it a point to not change out of your pajamas (I’m not kidding, pajamas are strongly encouraged) on a Saturday morning and go have some fun.
Saturday Morning Vibes Cereal Bar is open to the public Wednesday-Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Additionally, the store can be reserved from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for birthday parties and special events.
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