Healthy Shack Owners Reflect on First Year in Business with Anniversary Party Scheduled for Saturday

Tony Di Domizio | North Penn Now•

Healthy Shack owners Buddy Harris, left, and Julie Palermo, right.

Most couples, when facing a five-hour drive, pass the time with music and conversation. Lansdale Tavern owners Buddy Harris and Julie Palermo, however, made a business plan for a new venture — one whose success is being celebrated Saturday in Lansdale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

When he was battling cancer, and especially during chemotherapy, Harris would get his nutrients mainly from smoothies, juices, and smoothie bowls; he did not have to actually eat much to get sustenance for his body.

It was perfect, then, when the couple visited California a few years later, that they found a healthy little shack overlooking palm trees and sand that served everything Harris previously needed during his cancer battle.

"It wasn’t just the food at that place,” Harris said, "…it was a vibe. A vibe we loved. It was an escape within an escape — and it was healthy.”

Fast forward to 2021. Harris and Palermo, whose love for adventure and traveling is a big part of their lives, were in Boston on vacation and very famished. They stopped at a diner for lunch, but it was closed.

Serendipity, though, showed them an open smoothie bowl and salad shop next door.

"I didn’t care what we ate at that point, I was starving,” Harris said. "Julie, on the other hand, started talking to the owner. She got their story, learned about their struggle, their fight, their success.”

The owner’s story moved Palermo to tears. She empathized with their struggle and passion.

"(Their struggle and fight) reminded her of how we felt during the pandemic with the tavern,” Harris said, "and how she’d love to bring a place like this to Lansdale. It made me think of all the other places we’ve eaten at that were similar to this place, and the place in Cali. Always positive. Always a vibe.”

Thus, Harris and Palermo did not waste that five-hour drive home to Franconia Township from Boston — they made a plan for the future, which would ultimately manifest as the Healthy Shack.

Two days later, Harris reached out to a broker and told them he needed another business in Lansdale. A month later, Harris and Palermo were signing the contract at 325 Madison Street, and a year after that, the construction and recipes were done, and doors were opened.

To celebrate one successful year in business, the Healthy Shack is having a party on Saturday at its Madison Street location behind Stove & Tap, complete with $5 menu items (all items), face painting and giveaways from noon to 3 p.m., live music from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. from Mike Donato, $5 gift cards for all for use at The Healthy Shack and Lansdale Tavern, and a ribbon cutting at noon.

"Between my comedy and our love for adventure, traveling is a big part of our life. We travel and fall in love with other cities and towns. We become intrigued with their designs and concepts,” Harris said. "But Lansdale will always be where our hearts are.”

The pandemic — and running a food establishment in general —comes with its struggles, Harris admitted. Yet, the positives nearly outweigh all of them.

"The town has given us hope and confidence. It gave us a second chance to live our dreams,” a now cancer-free Harris said. "We consider the tavern a neighborhood bar, but we consider so many people in this town family.”

Thus, when a concept works well in other towns, the couple plays it out in their minds how it would work in Lansdale. The ideas start mixing in their heads like the delicious cocktails at their bar.

"We’ve entertained a few ideas,” Harris said, "but the Healthy Shack concept was special.”

An original venture means there is no franchise, and, therefore, no blueprint to follow.

"With the tavern, or any business that exists, it’s easy to say what you’d change as you see it in operation,” said Harris. "We have to design, execute, evaluate, and adjust.”

"And boy, oh boy, have we made adjustments,” he said.

In the end, though, it was worth it for Harris and Palermo. Owning a business means constant adjustment. It means standing behind a product and brand, putting it out as best as one can, and just getting better at what you do.

"While we have customers that go to both locations, we have also built a new clientele, different from the tavern,” Harris said. "It’s amazing getting to know more and more people from our town. And we will keep taking feedback and grow from it.”

Now, as Harris and Palermo enter year-two of their second business, they’re fine-tuning the process. Gone is the shock of owning two businesses, Harris said. Now is the time to exude that vibe that started the entire endeavor.

"One thing we want to work on is making it an environment that people want to use while they knock out a couple emails, or make a few work calls, or meet a classmate to work on schoolwork,” Harris said. "We’re streamlining our products to make them more eco-friendly. We are focusing on third-party delivery (i.e. DoorDash) so we can have a better reach to our customers. And we are introducing breakfast and really committing to the hot bowls.”

The Healthy Shack manager and veteran Austin Herb, recently of Lansdale, said Saturday is a big day for everyone in the Healthy Shack and Lansdale Tavern families.

"We’ve put a lot of work into getting here and would love for you to stop by to help us celebrate,” Herb announced on the Citizens for the Revitalization of Lansdale Facebook group Wednesday. "I know there’s a lot to do in Lansdale on the weekends, so whether it’s your first time, or you’re coming for your ‘usual,’ it would mean a lot to us if you shared even a small part of your Saturday with us in our home.”