Residents of Limestone County have a new option available when it comes to flavorful and potentially healthy beverages.

Nutrition on The Square opened for business in downtown Athens Aug. 8. The store is open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays.

Business partners Angelica Aguirre and Nely Pelico offer a variety of drinks, including protein shakes and “tea bombs.” According to Aguirre, the tea bombs have a number of healthy benefits like boosting metabolism and boosting energy.

“We figured, in times like these, you want everyone to be introduced to a healthier lifestyle,” she said. “We thought this would be an appropriate spot to open up shop. There are a lot of people who come by on The Square.”

She and Pelico have both operated similar businesses in the past, with Pelico doing so for about 13 years. Aguirre said she signed back up in May, and she and Pelico decided to open the new business together.

“It took us a couple of months to get everything together and be able to open up,” Aguirre said. “We happened to run by an empty spot here and thought, ‘Hey, let’s give it a shot.’ Sure enough, it was available to us, and we took the opportunity.”

Many companies have had trouble staying afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, so there aren’t many new businesses opening up at this time. However, Aguirre said getting things rolling was not as hard as she would have predicted.

“With COVID-19, things changed, as far as going to the health department and getting permits,” she said. “The city had opened back up not long ago. We hit it in the wrong spot, but it was right when everything started to open back up.”

Aguirre said she has experience working in a restaurant setting, so she is already used to cleaning and sanitizing the store. She said she would be doing so even if coronavirus wasn’t a thing.

“I even sanitize the pens after people use them,” she said.

She said business has been OK so far, but between being a newly opened business and COVID-19, it is hard to gauge their amount of success so far. That said, she said it feels “really good” to be open for business.

“On behalf of everyone at Athens Main Street, I would like to personally welcome Angelica and Nely to historic downtown Athens,” said Tere Richardson, executive director of Athens Main Street. “We encourage all you early morning runners and walkers around downtown to stop in and give them a try.”

For more information, search for “Downtown Nutrition” on Facebook.