Leah Spivey-McCormick is one determined lady. She is working diligently to get her all natural fruit juice mixers, that were so popular at SandBar in Nashville, out to the public. With COVID-19 shutting down the highly popular seasonal tiki bar and sand volleyball courts, she is distributing her juice pouches with no delivery fee to Davidson, Williamson and Rutherford Counties. They are a perfect way to bring a bit of the tropics to your own backyard.
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Because of current liquor laws, she is unable to sell her fruit drink pouches with alcohol, so serving alcohol to-go does not apply to her. She delivers the virgin pouch chilled, and she sends a video or email with instructions on what liquor to add, and what else to do with the pouches — like pop them into the freezer or throw in some ice. Or the fruit juice pouches are ready to drink as is. They can be ordered through funnyguydistributing.com.
What makes Spivey-McCormick’s business so unique is that she is one of the only female bar owners in Tennessee, and in the nation. This is an extremely male dominated industry. She has no investors and no partners.
Spivey-McCormick has lived in and around Nashville since 2004. She says that she worked her way up from the bottom, starting with bagging groceries. From there she went to DQ, Arby’s, and then on to working at Logan’s Roadhouse as a server, later being promoted to a bartender. From Murfreesboro, she moved to Nashville to work at Amerigo, and then Flying Saucer.
“I took a job with Yazoo Brewing Company for five and a half years,” added Spivey-McCormick, “and then opened Sandbar in 2017. It is – or was before COVID closed it down – an all outdoor bar with two sand volleyball courts located in the One City property. Sandbar is what my patrons called ‘their vacation spot in Nashville,’ where they felt they were on an island away from the city. There were plenty of good vibes, an amazing hard-working staff, and quality products.”
Previous to the pandemic, she was eyeing a location across the interstate from Medical Center Parkway to open a Murfreesboro location.
“Funds are obviously next to nothing this year,” said Spivey-McCormick, “so that may be delayed, but I am trying very hard to move in that direction. I would love to be there!”
She has been trying to get her message out through “HIP” groups, but she is frequently deleted because her business is not located in the area, and yet pre-COVID, her customers came from all over the area. She hopes those who have tried her product and enjoyed it will tell their friends, and get the message out by word of mouth. For more information about Spivey-McCormick and her products, check out her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/sandbarnashville/.
“My motto is positivity will always win,” said Spivey-McCormick.