After nearly five years, Mission Savvy owner Jennifer Miller is closing the vegan cafe and juice bar in downtown Charleston to pursue what she says is a higher calling.
Keeping animals off the menu has always been a mission of the Hale Street cafe, but Miller said she's ready to move onto larger animal protection projects.
"The business was built on the concept of serving a community that doesn't have access to healthy food and really good, plant-powered items," Miller said Wednesday.
While the cafe will close for good on April 1, one of its newest additions - started just 10 months ago - will remain.
Customers can subscribe to a "Wildcraft box," similar to a community-supported agriculture share, which provides a weekly box of vegan food and organic ingredients for pickup or delivery.
Miller will also continue hosting wellness retreats with Fayetteville-based yoga instructor Erin Larsen, which feature yoga, organic juice workshops and meal coaching.
With a degree in animal behavior, Miller has a long record of working with animals prior to opening Mission Savvy, from working for an orangutan conservation group in Indonesia to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Now, she plans to relocate to South Carolina to open an animal sanctuary.
"I've worked with animals my entire life ... it's slowly been calling me back to the wild," she said.
While Miller said she's "always had one foot out the door," she finally made the decision to close Mission Savvy over the last few days.
"I spent the last year trying to figure out a way to allow the cafe to continue under different ownership," she said. "If the solution wasn't landing in my lap, [I knew] it was time to move on."
The challenge of operating a business in downtown Charleston also contributed to her decision to close.
"This winter has been really tough, being a small business. Hale Street is under construction and we've been without parking - that's going to continue until May," Miller said.
Despite closing the cafe, Miller still believes it's made an impact.
"I've seen so many people change their lives - we're just a window into the possibility of eating healthy," she said.
Customers can buy the cafe's recipes, subscribe to a Wildcraft box or register for a wellness retreat by visiting www.missionsavvy.com.
Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.