Co-owner Kenny Bruce described the Vibe as a “social sober bar” where customers will be able to consume kava, which is South Pacific shrub that users say has a sedative effect that can reduce anxiety.
“It’s a root that gives you the social feeling, like alcohol, but you do not lose your motor skills,” Kenny Bruce said.
First Choice Kratom, which opened in a strip mall on Linden Avenue in March 2020, sells all-natural kratom products that customers say can help treat pain or anxiety or improve energy or focus, Kenny Bruce said.
Kenny Bruce is co-owner of the business, along with his family members Larry Bruce and Kurt Bruce. They also own two other kratom stores in Springdale and Reynoldsburg.
First Choice in the near future is expected to sell products that contain kava, which is an extract from a plant in the pepper family called Piper methysticum that can be found in the South Pacific islands. Kava often is marketed as an alternative to alcohol and anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax, and the supplement often is consumed as a beverage made from dried root powder.
Kava bars have popped up around the country in recent years at a time when many people are trying to reduce or entirely cut out their alcohol intake. A Gallup poll conducted in July found that about 54% of U.S. adults said they consume alcohol — which was the lowest level ever recorded by Gallup in nearly 90 years of polls.
Across the world, kava fans often say “Bula,” a Fijian word for life, as they toast their cups before consuming the drink, which looks like muddy water. The Vibe Kava Bar will sell brewed cold tea containing the plant, as well as powder that customers can take home.
“It doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t look good — but it’s just about the feeling," Kurt Bruce said.
Pacific Islanders have consumed kava for a long time for psychological and physical relaxation and for ceremonial purposes, says a post from an assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health.
Kava may be able to help relieve anxiety in the short-term, but the lack of human clinical trials makes it difficult to assess the benefits of the supplement, and kava consumption has been linked to cases of liver injury, says the UCLA Health post. Experts say kava should not be taken with alcohol or anxiety medications.
This will be the first kava bar to open in the Dayton region, the owners said. A business in Columbus called Casa Cacao sells kava products. A coffee shop in Xenia is named Kava Haus, though it does not have kava items on the menu.
First Choice Kratom only sells 100% natural kratom products, which are less powerful and much safer than synthetic versions, ownership said. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy in December temporarily banned the sale of any kratom product that is not 100% natural. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on the Ohio Pharmacy Board to develop rules regulating natural kratom.
Kratom is an herbal extract that anti-drug abuse organizations say can be a stimulant in low doses and a sedative with an opioid-type effect in higher doses. Critics say kratom can be abused and high doses of the supplement can lead nausea, seizures, overdose and other harm.
Kratom supporters and users say the supplement can reduce anxiety, improve concentration and produce a welcome feeling of calmness.
“Some say it helps with PTSD, helps many stop drinking and can even help some get off hard drugs,” Kenny Bruce said.
Kenny Bruce said some people like to take kava and kratom together at the same time. First Choice sells kratom powder and capsules.
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