A former Jacksonville smoothie shop owner says she was blindsided by a hidden noncompete at The Avenues Mall — one she claims was never disclosed in her lease. And it ultimately forced her to shut down after just five months.
Patrice Landers thought opening Juice Me Too in her hometown would be a fresh start. Before opening day, she even posted celebratory videos on Instagram. But she says things quickly soured when mall management questioned how many smoothies she planned to sell.
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According to Landers, they told her, “We have a tenant who has basically been grandfathered in that has exclusive rights to sell smoothies. And so there’s a conflict.”
Landers says her signed lease never mentioned any exclusivity for another smoothie shop. She says it even stated she had the right to sell smoothies, telling Action News Jax, “Our lease never said anything about another smoothie bar. It actually shows in our lease that we have the right to sell smoothies.”…