Mind, Body, & Soul Arrive In Westville

Westville small business owners and city officials cut ceremonial ribbons to celebrate the grand openings of a new mental health center, a new hair salon, and a new poké bowl restaurant on Whalley Avenue — bringing mind, body, and soul to a bustling commercial strip.

City Deputy Director of Economic Development Cathy Graves opened the press conference portion of the event on Thursday, pleased at Westville’s thriving small business culture: ​“We are recognizing that small businesses power New Haven’s economy.”

Mayor Justin Elicker introduced each of the three business owners, thanking them for working to fulfill the community’s needs. ​“We all need wellness — I know I certainly do,” he said of West Rock Wellness to owner Jordan Sloshower about the new integrative mental health center now open above Keys on Kites Tattoo Shop & Gallery at 869 Whalley Ave.

Joy Zhu, owner of Poké OLi at 867 Whalley Ave., ​“learned to cook for her roommates, and I wish I was one of her roommates, because her food is incredible,” Elicker said. ​“If you ever need someone to come over and eat dinner, I’m free,” he offered to Zhu.

“If you want to cut and color your hair all while maintaining its integrity, then Joffrey Jara [owner of hair salon 1Eleven at 865 Whalley Ave.,] is the person to go to,” Elicker concluded.

Executive Director Lizzy Donius spoke on behalf of the Westville Village Renaissance Alliance, and expressed her excitement at welcoming still more new businesses to Westville and fostering community along the way. ​“I am so glad that these businesses are on the same block, because they can feed each other with clientele.”

To close the presser, each business owner shared their gratitude for the Westville community’s support and introduced their businesses.

Zhu, who specializes in Hawaiian-style poké bowls, explained Poké OLi’s commitment to environmentally-friendly business practices that include 100 precent compostable packaging and dietary accommodations. ​“My hope is that customers of all ages and all eating preferences can come together and eat with family,” she said.

“Don’t give up on your dreams, because you never know,” said Jara, who prioritizes preserving and strengthening hair. ​“I’ll transform your hair and maintain its integrity,” he chuckled, a phrase whose continued repetition had elicited laughter from the crowd.

Sloshower echoed a similar sentiment about holding out hope, saying, ​“This is a dream come true, after years and years of envisioning this space and researching its practices.”

Sloshower first came to New Haven in 2008 to attend the Yale School Medicine before pursuing his residency at local psychiatric hospitals, during which he met his wife Sasha, now a wellness coordinator at West Rock Wellness, and settled down in Westville.

The idea for a wellness space curated using research from Sloshower’s lab at Yale had been in development for years, until he decided to make his dream a reality and began plans for West Rock Wellness in 2022.

As of its grand opening, the center offers comprehensive psychiatry, psychology, and psychotherapy through practices such as yoga, music therapy or ​“sound ceremonies,” dance workshops, as well as a gallery of art intended to put the mind at ease through. The current exhibition features sculptures depicting healing from trauma.

However, what sets West Rock Wellness apart is its use of psychedelic-assisted therapy, a treatment that entails taking doses of ketamine and engaging in either individual or small group psychotherapy. ​“We are currently studying MDMA and psilocybin,” the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, ​“at the clinical level before we gain certification to implement them in psychotherapy,” said Sloshower.

Next door, Zhu and her family were welcoming guests into Poké OLi, offering free samples of bubble tea, a popular drink made with tea and tapioca pearls, to customers taking in the open and airy space.

Elicker was one of them, exclaiming ​“Wow!” at the first sip. As a thank-you for his support, Zhu whipped up a special personalized poké bowl, a dish made with raw fish, vegetables, and rice, for Elicker to try.

Hailing from Shanghai, China, Zhu studied arts administration as an undergraduate before organizing productions and workshops at community theaters. She later earned an MBA from Babson College, where she fell in love with cooking food for the soul after becoming the designated chef for her dorm.

“Witnessing grandparents savor their very first poké bowl and children delight in their first bubble tea fills our hearts with happiness. These cherished moments of shared sweetness are truly heartwarming, and we feel deeply grateful to be a part of such special memories,” Zhu said in an email.

At the end of the block, native New Havener Jara administered a hair treatment to a scheduled customer, lathering her hair with shampoo. A well-respected hairstylist with several loyal customers, Jara started out cutting hair as a part-time job in addition to a job on a construction site.

“It started out as a hobby, but eventually I started cutting hair full time, and it’s been a dream come true,” he said as his family drifted around the shop, chatting and handing out goody bags to visitors. ​“It takes a village.”