How Playa Bowls Started
Brooke Butler-Wagner is the owner of Playa Bowls. While vacationing in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, Brooke visited the Playa Bowls location there with her sister for a fruity treat. She fell in love instantly and started eating there every single day. Brooke tells us that when she was dragging her kids, friends, and family in, she knew that it was something Carlisle needed.
Playa Bowls was founded by Rob and Abby, avid surfers that discovered the açaí berry while traveling from beaches. ‘Playa’ means beach in Spanish, the perfect name for the business. They loved the bowls, they love the berry, and they love the beach—and Playa Bowls was created.
The pair started the company with a food cart on the boardwalk that they rented from a local pizza shop. They were making just a few bowls and smoothies, and the business grew from there. There are now over 200 locations across the United States, with Carlisle being one of them.
Fresh Acai Bowls
Brook opened the Carlisle location in August of 2021. The line started at 7:30 am and was down the street, even though the store didn’t open until 11:00 am. Excited people waited for two blocks to taste the delicious smoothies and bowls that Playa Bowls offers.
One of the bestsellers is the Nutella Bowl, made with a base of açaí. The bowl starts with a scoop of granola on the bottom before getting filled with smooth, frozen açaí. Another scoop of granola is added on top of the açaí before it gets a topping of sliced strawberries and bananas. Coconut flakes are added before the Nutella is drizzled over the entire bowl.
The açaí is the superfood star of this delicious bowl, a Brazilian berry that’s purple in color. It looks like a blueberry with a cocoa berry flavor. Brooke loves to add peanut butter to her Nutella Bowl, taking it to the next level of flavor.
Sweet Smoothies
In addition to their variety of bowls, Playa Bowls also offers a range of delicious smoothies. One of the most popular choices is the Booster smoothie, a healthy yet delicious drink with plenty of fresh ingredients. Starting with a base of frozen bananas, they add flaxseed oil, vanilla whey, spirulina, cashew milk, and peanut butter.
The whey protein can be substituted with organic vegan protein powder. The spirulina powder gives the smoothie a fun pale green hue, offering additional nutrients to the drink. Once it’s all blended, the smoothie is poured into a peanut butter-drizzled cup. This delicious blend of flavors is the perfect treat or a great way to start off the day.
A Taste Of Summer All Year Long!
When Brooke opened up Playa Bowls, they did a lot of work when they bought the building. They added an entire patio, offering tables and chairs for outdoor seating. They also placed comfy chairs around fire pits, allowing guests to come in the evening, sit outside, and enjoy the vibe out back.
The area is going to be a perfect spot in spring and summer when things start to warm up. Brooke plans to offer some live music, improv, and other fun events. You can check them out on Instagram and Facebook to keep up-to-date and everything going on in the store. So if you’re driving through Carlisle or you’re local, make sure you check out Playa Bowls. They are a newer business to Carlisle and we want to make sure we support them.
If you’re looking to buy, build, or refinance, make sure you give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel so you never miss an episode of Homemade PA, and stay tuned to see what we feature next!