Smoothie and coffee bar opens

TORRINGTON — Gravity Smoothie Bar opened its doors on 17 Water St. at the beginning of August. 

The smoothie and coffee bar is an up-and-coming art venue where one can sit down for a freshly crafted smoothie, or iced chai latte complete with coffee ice cubes. The group art show, “Local Flavor,” opened on Friday, Aug. 19, with a reception featuring eight local artists.

Foot traffic was high in Torrington on Aug. 19, and the buzz for Gravity was happening even before you walked through the doors. 

Inside, eclectic decor includes a mock windowpane opening up a starlit view from the ceiling. The smoothie bar countertop features various galactic images, with a Bart Simpson sticker thrown in for good measure.

The business is the brainchild of Rachel Kelly, Stephanie Watts and Stephanie Burr, all established business owners in downtown Torrington. Kelly and her mother own and operate Kelly’s Crystal Boutique, Stephanie Watts of First Act Bakery, and Stephanie Burr, who runs the art studio above Kelly’s Crystal Boutique. “We met with our landlord to work on this project, and Gravity was born,” Kelly said. “It’s a huge collaboration. We work around our separate business schedules and split up the hours to come together to create different events. Our first event was centered around local art, with a lot of inspiration from Stephanie Burr and her friends.” According to Kelly, the menu will change seasonally and incorporate food in the future. This fall, they will be holding a pumpkin carving contest and they will sell apple cider and specialty hot chocolates. They are also looking forward to the next event, “Creepshow,” which will feature horror and Halloween artwork.

Everyone who attended the Aug. 19 event received a free Pabst Blue Ribbon beer featuring limited edition can art. “A distributor for PBR who happened to come in for a smoothie loved the idea for an event,” said Ryan Begey, who was passing out beer at Gravity. “So he just offered three cases to use as a way to promote the event. We put the PBR logo on the flyer and it helps kind of legitimize the event, too, and get people in the door, because it’s limited edition art and the piece on the side of the can goes hand in hand with like a gallery beer. It’s an art themed event all the way around.” Begey said Gravity differs from other venues such as Five Points Art Gallery, being home to more of an underground art style. “It’s a cool new spot for a different kind of art,” Begey said. “It’s a little different from Five Points, which is more contemporary, and just something different for Torrington, in a way.”

Live artist David Lyman was housed in the store front window, parallel with the DJ to his right, as people gathered around to watch him create a graffiti-inspired piece. (“Live art” refers to work made in front of an audience instead of in a studio.)

“I create art and it’s all about expression,” Lyman said.  “There’s a different way of looking at my art. I could show you pictures of pieces and you will not get the same idea as to visually see my piece happen.” Lyman said he started off as a graffiti writer and a DJ but eventually got into graphic design and has since moved to live art, often doing shows on the Lower East Side of New York City.

Gravity Smoothie Bar is located at 7 Water St. and is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information call 860-294-9554 or visit www.gravitysmoothiebar.com