Savannah Allen and Lauren Fellows (left to right) are pictured in front of their café’s name, Groovy Café. Next to Savannah is her favorite menu item- the Tropical Groove smoothie. Fellows actually came up with that smoothie herself, so it “has a special place in [her] heart.” Fellows’s favorite food item is the Chicken Bacon wrap, with breaded chicken. Allen’s favorite smoothie is the Green Goddess: “People can be afraid of greens, but that one surprises you with the taste. It’s nice and sweet, and you’re also getting your greens in for the day.” Her favorite food item is the Veggie Wrap.

As the city of Solon gains more and more businesses, Lauren Fellows and Savannah Allen’s Groovy Café shows up like a banana– ripe and ready for business. Fellows said that the Solon community has been very welcoming.

Groovy Café is located in Solon Square on 33200 Station Street — home to Planet Fitness, Chipotle and Papa Johns. On Sept. 24, Groovy Café had its first opening. Accompanied by Solon community members, their ribbon cutting ceremony took place the same day.

“[We’ve gotten] a pretty positive response from the [Solon] community,” said Fellows.

Community members have also pitched in by posting about Groovy Café’s food, raving about how “…how delicious [the veggie wrap] is” online, said Allen.

The inspiration behind Groovy Café came from shared experiences and aspirations between these two women.

“We both worked for the Cleveland Browns– that’s actually how we met,” said Fellows. “While we were working there, we knew that we had a larger purpose. [Savannah and I] put our heads together because we always wanted to be entrepreneurs. Savannah was more of the smoothie side– healthy eating, clean eating, and I’ve always loved to cook. Mixing those together, we got the restaurant concept, and here we are.”

Fellows’s and Allen’s ideas blended together, like their House Salad in a mixing bowl, and out came a healthy start to their success thus far.

Groovy Café has a “groovy” design. Their main eye-catcher would be the tie-dye accent wall that features GROOVY CAFÉ in bold and outlined lettering. Their tables, chairs, seats and counters are wood, giving off a vintage, rustic feel.

“You can see on our walls, it’s vibey,” Allen said. “If you want that, you can come here. Our café’s really bright, but it can also be a comforting space.”

Fellows add on to that, explaining how Groovy Café caters to different styles.

“Say you’re someone who is super healthy, maybe you’ll get grilled chicken,” said Fellows. “If not, maybe you’ll get breaded chicken. I feel like people will put a café in a box, but I do think we have multiple different things to offer.”

Groovy Café is even thinking about adding vegan and vegetarian options in addition to their gluten-free menu.

Allen said that one goal she has for Groovy Café would be to do more collaborations with those in the community.

“[We would have these] collaborations to get the word out, and to be well-known in the community,” Allen said.

Fellows said that her goals for Groovy Café would be “to let more people know we’re in this location” as well.

“Everyone who has had our products, loves our products,” Fellows said. “So the more people we can get to try it… [that] would be the best thing for us.”

As for the community at Solon High School, Groovy Café offers a 10% off discount for the students, which many don’t know.
With that discount in mind, Allen invites Solon High School students to unwind after school.

“With us being younger, we want to be a spot that students can come to,” Allen said. “We have Wi-Fi- you can do your homework, you can listen to music. You can come relax here.”

Allen and Fellows said they are feeling good about being a new edition to the city of Solon.

“I’m definitely really happy with what we’ve done so far,” Allen said.

In the three months, Groovy Café has been opened, Fellows and Allen have reached the community well. Fellows and Allen are anticipating and hoping for further growth in their business.

“Just in that short time, I think we’ve built really good connections with the community,” Fellows said. “It’s really exciting to look forward to more people being out and coming in. So far, so good.”

Groovy Café is located in Solon Square on 33200 Station Street — home to Planet Fitness, Chipotle and Papa Johns.