Think twice before going out for pizza for your night on the town in Verona; there’s a new, healthier hot-spot that’s up and coming.

Positivitea opened its doors last May, shocking our small town with its success. The Montclair-esque vegan café provides a relaxing, positive environment for sipping tea, coffee, and smoothies or munching on vegan wraps and burgers.

“At first I was hesitant about the unconventional atmosphere – I’m not exactly the healthiest eater either – but it turns out that I really enjoy the personal connection between the customers and the employees. I’m working on getting a smoothie named after me,” said Luke Weiss, a VHS senior and Positivitea “Thirsty Thursday” regular. Every Thursday night all drinks are half off, and Luke always makes an appearance. He is just one example of a skeptic turned fanatic.

A typical trip to Positivitea can be encapsulated by my experience to “Thirsty Thursday” last night. As workers and VHS seniors Jess Parsons and Lucas Freschi were getting ready to close up shop, a couple was finishing up their meals at the bar next to me.

“Your food makes it easy to eat vegan,” the woman said as she handed her clean plate to Jess over the counter. Not before long, the two couples were engaged in conversation over the counter as if they had known each other for years. I left the man playing the “commune guitar” for Lucas, who was listening intently, while the woman and Jess discussed the small dog whose head was sticking out of the woman’s backpack.

Positivitea owns all of its success and positive vibes to its owner, Abe Sharkas. After battling childhood obesity and winning, Abe was extremely determined to expand his healthy habits and awesome attitude onto a larger scale.

“Every business entrepreneur is nervous about starting up, especially a food joint on a main street with a bunch of competitors, but Positivitea offers something totally different. We’re working to establish the grassroots of the organic, vegan movement in a town that doesn’t see much of it, and it’s been awesome so far” Abe stated confidently with a never fading grin. The vibes Abe brings to him dream job every day are contagious, and his business certainly does stand out on Bloomfield Ave. with its lime green storefront and decorative window paintings.

Inside the café, the aesthetics don’t fade. Artwork given by local artists hangs on the walls either to be bid on or simply enjoyed by the café’s patrons. The ceiling is a story in itself. When one of Abe’s friends awoke from a coma induced by a head injury, he became enlightened, and suddenly, a breathtaking artist. The ceiling tiles he volunteered to paint capture the inside of his new brain with whimsical colors, trees, swirls, and words like “happiness” and “positivity”. Jess’s art can be found throughout the café as well – on the tables, the chalkboard, and even covering the walls of the bathroom.

“It’s mesmerizing,” said VHS senior Dianka Moczula about the café’s interior. “I could sit in there for an hour just staring at the walls. It’s so relaxing.”

Dianka is yet another example of the type of customer Positivitea sees on a daily basis. Vegetarian herself, Dianka comes for both the food and the social aspect. Positivitea also sees rambunctious middle schoolers, studious upperclassmen (there’s free wifi, perfect for online homework), and adults coming from more than 30 miles away.

It’s not hard to believe that people come from so far just to experience the essence of the one-of-a-kind café. According to Jess, Positivitea sold over $6,000 in just burgers and smoothies this past winter at New York City’s “Vegfest”, a meatless, weekend-long food-booth festival.

“Vegfest was insane,” told Jess, “I was mixing smoothies non-stop.” She continued, “Working here has connected me in a network of amazingly creative and open-minded people. I couldn’t have a better job, honestly.”