\n(Normal Heights)<\/address>\n
<\/p>\n
Liquid Eden is a three-month-old water store based in Normal Heights, and its slogan is \u201cliquefy your soul.\u201d Yes, you read that correctly, but proceed with an open mind.<\/p>\n While plain on the outside, Liquid Eden\u2019s interior quickly lowers eyebrows raised by its namesake. A delightfully, almost suspiciously friendly couple, Chris and Trisha, greet their customers inside a temple to the purity and holistic nature of water. Plants grow artfully out of the walls. Delicate bulbs and ornaments hang from the ceiling. Despite their lush interior, Liquid Eden sells just two things: water and things to put it in\u2014namely, jugs.<\/p>\n Liquid Eden sells two different types of water both for about fifty cents a gallon. They\u2019ve got the good-old-fashioned purified water, which goes through their \u201c12-step commercial grade reverse osmosis filtration system.\u201d They also sell a \u201cre-mineralized\u201d version of this, since, ironically, really pure water can taste much dryer than people are used to.<\/p>\n However, the couple\u2019s dedication to their product doesn\u2019t stop there. While it\u2019s clear they care about the quality of their water, there\u2019s something a bit more esoteric that goes into it, too. Chris will meditate next to the large barrels of water in the morning. Positive words like \u201clove\u201d and \u201chappiness\u201d are printed out on small slips of paper and taped to the jugs. One may quickly assume that such practices have no scientifically provable benefit, but Chris would disagree. He cites a researcher by the name of Dr. Masaru Emoto, who spent time studying water molecules under the microscope, positing that water can be empirically improved by positive energy. Emoto concludes, and Chris agreed, that doing things like playing peaceful music in front of water \u2014 or even arguing in front of it \u2014 can change the crystal structure of water. This is the basis for much of what Liquid Eden does. A statement on their website says it well:<\/p>\n \u201cLiquid Eden is more than about good water; It\u2019s about positive energy.\u00a0 It is a peaceful sanctuary where you will leave feeling better than when you came in. Everything right down to the music played in the store is intentional, and in service to having a peaceful and positive space.\u201d<\/p>\n But even on the merits of the store\u2019s spiritual benefits, Chris and Trisha are characteristically open minded. Chris said that not all their customers view water \u2013 or life, for that matter \u2013 in the same holistic way he and his wife do. Everyone gets something different out of every experience, especially experiences of a spiritual nature.<\/p>\n Still, he said, his water is a lot cheaper than buying a jug of Arrowhead at Vons.<\/p>\n Hammond\u2019s Gourmet Ice Cream<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n3077 University Ave. <\/p>\n In early June, North Park finally got an ice cream shop.<\/p>\n Granted, there haven\u2019t been any riots in recent memory calling for a North Park ice cream shop, but it was notable that an area notorious for mass consumption of food and drink didn\u2019t have a store solely devoted to ice cream, a firmly established staple of gluttony.<\/p>\n Hammond\u2019s Ice Cream goes further than just filling a void though, it also caters to North Park\u2019s sweet tooth for sustainability as well. Hammond\u2019s sources their ice cream from Tropical Dream, a large ice-cream producer in Hawaii known for their dedication to sourcing local ingredients and hand crafting their \u201csuper premium\u201d ice cream.<\/p>\n And admittedly, the company\u2019s dedication to sourcing ingredients locally loses some of its flavor when it travels 2,500 miles to get in front of North Park customers, but Tropical Dream and Hammond\u2019s both make considerable efforts to mitigate the impacts of their business. Tropical Dream is the only Hawaiian ice cream producer that has more than 50 percent of its ingredients coming from the island state.<\/p>\n The owners, Trang and Ryan Hammond and Daniel Szpak, have also taken care when crafting their brick and mortar location on University Avenue. All the wood furniture found in their store is crafted in North Park out of reclaimed materials, including a felled eucalyptus tree in the neighborhood. Their chandelier made of old-fashioned ice cream cones and interesting display of drought-friendly succulent arrangements.<\/p>\n Their product is nothing to balk at either. With 18 percent butter fat, it\u2019s much richer and creamier than what one finds at a Baskin Robbins, and the 32 flavors include some Hawaiian rarities not often found either, such as Tahitian vanilla, white chocolate ginger and Jamocha almond fudge. Their offering of a flight of six mini-cones is perfect for the adventurous or indecisive.<\/p>\n Hammond\u2019s appears to be the ice cream shop North Park never knew it always wanted, and its here just in time for summer.<\/p>\n Viva estallidos<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n3330 Adams Ave. <\/p>\n![\"Liquid](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/071814-sweaty-shoppingWEB.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n
\n(Parque Norte)<\/address>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/HammondsChandelierCMYKWEB.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"(Courtesy](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/IMG_8165WEB.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n
\n(Normal Heights)<\/address>\n
![\"Viva](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/IMG_0303WEB-199x300.jpg\")
<\/a>