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Health and wellness can come in many forms, from keeping the body fit with regular exercise and a healthy diet, to mental wellness which can consist of knowing when it’s time to kick up your feet and take a break.
For Barbra Liddell and her daughter Shakeela Liddell, who run Bari Beauty & Health Plus along with their extended family, wellness can look like a glass of wine depending on the day.
Bari Beauty & Health Plus, 637 E. 185th St., Euclid, originally opened in 2009, selling holistic products such as supplements, soaps and oils. After 10 years in business, they suffered a structure fire which shuttered their operations until their reopening in October 2021.
While the fire was devastating, Liddell said that she didn’t let that stop her from trying new things when she opened back up, including expanding their line of fruit wines. They are made in house by her son, who has been keeping the tradition of wine making alive, a passion that was passed down by her parents who created the original recipes many years ago,
“It took some time because, business is not my forte, nursing is,” Liddell said, reflecting on when she first opened. “But I just kept rolling and trying new things and talking to people.”
She said that she came from a big family, growing up with 11 other siblings, in Greenwood, Mississippi, before her parents moved to Ohio.
“My father had passed, and he passed it (wine-making) on to my mom,” she said. “My mom brought it into the store. She was 105, said she was tired, and her eyesight was poor, and she wanted to leave it. So, I proceeded to get the license and all that you need to produce wine, so we make it here.
“A lot of times we lose stuff because we don’t pick it up. And they are trying to give us something but it’s up to us to pick it up and keep it going to pass it on.”
Many of the wines are based on fruit such as peach and strawberry, but they also have red wines such as Zinfandel and Concord. All of the wines, Liddell said, are made with the least amount of additives as possible.
“We are trying to keep it natural,” Liddell said. “We only put in what we need to put in, as far as the government regulations. So, we use fruits and vegetables and continue to do that, because I think that you can heal yourself and have a couple glasses of wine, I’m OK with that, you know?”
After the fire forced them to close and remodel, the Registered Nurse for 40 years said that they decided to open a smoothie bar to provide a tasty, yet healthy, treat in one convenient package.
“Were more health conscious now,” Liddell said. “We’re trying to get things in our body that will build us up instead of just soda, and juice and stuff like that. We have actual fruits and vegetables that we use, and it tastes good. It has a good flavor, and you are nourishing your body, giving your body the vitamins and minerals it needs, and not necessarily fast-food stuff, because it has a lot of preservatives in them, and it’s not good for us.”
“Products that don’t have a ton of different ingredients that you can’t pronounce and these kinds of things,” Shakeela Liddell added. “That’s why we are doing smoothies that use fruits. We’re not using a bunch of different things, and we aren’t using juice for our wine, we are using actual grapes, things like that. (We’re) taking out the preservatives and processes that they are using for products and just having that holistic approach in everything that we incorporate.”
Liddell said that while they were always open to adding new things to the store, one thing that will stay consistent for her is focusing on the community and her family.
“That we are a service for people, and we want to focus on servicing the community that we are in and helping to grow,” she said. “For me, I want to leave something behind. I want to leave something for my grandchildren to carry forth and not just, when I go, it’s done.
“I had my granddaughters in here, and they got up on the little step stool and they made smoothies… that’s what it’s about. I know that I’m not going to be here forever, but I want to pass on this, and I have family that’s interested, and seem to be getting more interested.”
