Ashley Paradise and Anthony Lauria are really serious about water.
So much so that the couple have made the natural resource their business. They recently opened Local H2O specializing in alkaline-infused water in the retail space that was formerly Frat Boy Donuts on Garnet Avenue.
“We’re taking city water and putting it through our seven-stage, reverse-osmosis filtration system,” said Lauria. “It purifies it. Purified water helps your hair and nails grow, helps your digestion, your skin.” 
“I’ve always been on the health, wellness and fitness side, always been an athlete,” said Paradise. “So for me using water is more about being healthy and aware of my body. Our body is made of 60 percent water. If you want nice skin or want to lose weight – use water. It washes out the toxins.”
The company’s motto is, “Come hydrate your soul.”
Why mineralized water?
“Water is great for you out of a natural spring,” Paradise said. “We wanted to mimic that.”
Noting unfiltered tap water has “a lot of nasty stuff” as well as important minerals the human body needs, Paradise said reverse osmosis separates the good from the bad making water “99.9 percent clean. Then we infuse it with potassium, magnesium and calcium.” 
Purified water is 55 cents a gallon at Local H2O, and mineralized, alkaline water with electrolytes is $2 a gallon.
“A whole setup is what we call it,” said Paradise of the stand and water bottles dispensing water they also sell.
After becoming Pacific Beach residents in 2010, the couple said they “just really wanted to bring something to offer PB.” 
Lauria said they ended up choosing osmosis by elimination. Lauria had been selling motorcycles and parts. Paradise has worked with cheerleaders selling cheer cams and being an instructor.
Said Lauria: “We wanted to own a local business, but we didn’t want to own a taco shop or a pizza place or a gym. She’s always been into the health and wellness side of things. So we just decided, ‘Let’s look around and see what we can find.’ We thought water. Alkaline water.” 
There are several faucets coming off Local H2Os reverse osmosis machine that customers use to fill their own water bottles, a wide selection of which are for sale in-store. 
“We’ve had a good array of customers,” noted Paradise. “Mostly people in the neighborhood.”
“People are intrigued by the alkaline water,” added Lauria.
“We’re a one-stop shop,” concluded Paradise. “We enjoy coming into work every day.” Local H2O
1380 Garnet Ave.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Info: localh20pb.com, [email protected], 858-246-7816, 661-304-8928