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Family-Owned Juice Shop Opens on Franklin Avenue

 Natural Juice, a juice shop on Franklin Avenue, is owned by the family of Michael Kim, 31.
Openings and Closings in Bed-Stuy
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BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A new Bed-Stuy shop offering fresh juice and health food is keeping it all in the family.

Natural Juice, at 501 Franklin Ave. near Fulton Street, is owned by the family of Michael Kim, 31, who moved to Brooklyn from Toronto to help his aunt and uncle open the business.

Kim said he thinks the organic juices and healthy snacks at the shop, which opened Wednesday, will be a hit.

"When something's good for you, I find that New Yorkers are on board," he said. 

In addition to four recipes — with names like Detox, Immune Booster and Antioxidant Supreme — juicers can choose from any of 17 different fruits and vegetables for their drink, at only $3 for a small cup, or $4 for a large.

To pay homage to the family's Korean background, the words "REJUVENATE POWER" are emblazoned in green letters across the front of the shop, above the awning. Many Korean families put similar words or phrases above their doors or mantles to symbolize the spirit of the home, and Kim's uncle chose the phrase to highlight the shop's "rejuvenating" quality, Kim said.

"It's sort of like holding on to the old world," he said.

Natural Juice's location was previously home to the ice cream shop Frozen Social, which opened in July and unexpectedly closed just weeks later.

Kim, who previously owned Laundromats and a nightclub in Toronto, said he hopes the business takes off so he can settle in to his new home.

"I'm ready to convert," Kim said. "Brooklyn is on fire."

Other openings and closings in Bed-Stuy:

Bedford Hall, a new Union Hall-inspired bar from the owner of Mo's in Fort Greene, is set to open on Saturday, according to bar representatives. The spot at 1177 Bedford Ave., owned by Calvin Clark, will feature book shelves, couches and a wooden finish, they said.

The grand opening Saturday will also serve as the official after party to the Restoration Rocks! concert, organizers said.

True South Bookstore, an independent bookstore focused on black history and culture, closed in late September, according to reports.

The shop's owners were in the midst of a monthslong battle with their landlord, who allegedly threatened to evict shop owner Monroe Brown just days after he was hospitalized with a stroke in July.

Brown's son, Ajamu, tried to hold fundraisers to keep the shop open, but ultimately couldn't afford the space, the son told the New York Daily News.

"At the end of the day how many fundraisers can you do?" Ajamu Brown told the paper. "You have to be able to generate a profit in order to keep the business open."

And at 1243 Fulton St., S&A Superstore closed late last month. The shop that sold a hodgepodge of items including clothes, electronics and kitchenware had a sign hung outside touting 50 years in business, though Bed-Stuy Patch listed it as having opened in 2011.