“Zumba, high-heel dance classes, cardio drumming, smoothies, and green-lean-protein filled sandwiches, salads and wraps made with ingredients sold freshly from local businesses but most importantly made with love” … so proclaim the menus that grace the walls of Vamonos Cafe and Eatery.
Denisse Lopez-Avila is the owner of Vamonos along with her husband Carlos Lopez. She is from Mexico City but raised right here in Detroit and she is a young woman with a mission for her community
At Vamonos, located at 4444 W. Vernor Hwy. just west of Clark Park, patrons can enjoy seasonal fresh smoothies that cater to all taste buds and preferences or maybe a heels class or Zumba. Even a drumming class or yoga if they so choose.
“It just kind of came to me from doing Zumba in my backyard, ” says Lopez-Avila. “We did a Zumba class and then we ate pizza after. I was like no we gotta balance it out! I think we could sell juices and smoothies doing this too.”
Lopez-Avila provides physical activity classes for community members at a donation based cost or almost free at her two sided eatery and third place all week and all throughout the day.
According to a study done by the University of Chicago, “third place,” is a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, and refers to social spaces that are outside of your home (first place) and work (second place). In these third places, people tend to gather, socialize, create community, and engage in meaningful interactions.
The vision came to Denise while doing her usual run around Clark Park. She realized after her run she wanted something to balance her recent activity but there was nothing quite on the healthy side. No smoothie places or cafes focused on what she was looking for. Taco trucks? yes. Antojito spots? Yes. McDonald’s and Burger King? Absolutely.
“I went to a studio, I think it’s in Birmingham, and I fell in love. I was like this is what I want. Their schedule was full from Monday through Sunday of different classes and different instructors. And I thought, “I wanna do that for the community.”
But it became something bigger than just a smoothie place or sandwich shop.
“I wanted to create a place where I could work, have fun, and bring my kids mainly. By making sure they were comfortable, then everybody else started feeling comfortable,” says Lopez-Avila. “I love that they [community members] can come in here and feel safe during whatever’s happening in the world right now. Here at Vamonos, we’ve been so busy, and that lets me know that people do feel safe coming in here.”
Thus, the bright neon hot pink ‘Vamonos’ sign has welcomed many to the eatery and continues to foster a space of community under the notion of care – caring how you nourish yourself physically, socially, and through your belly.
“It’s not fair that here in our hood we don’t have a place to get up and be physical or get healthy food at affordable prices. We deserve all of this beauty too,” says Lopez-Avila.
Until recently, there weren’t any places in Southwest Detroit that provided healthy food or physical health to the community at an accessible, affordable price. Most times, folks in Southwest are driving downtown for a Tropical Smoothie or Beyond Juices or to Dearborn for their workouts at Crunch or Planet Fitness.
With the addition of Utila Juices and L’ Artesano now open on W. Vernor, that is progress but still represents less than a handful of choices. Though cafes are on the rise, Southwest Detroit hasn’t seen enough healthy food establishments that focused on the physical or nutritious consumption side.
Then, there’s the new and improved Planet Fitness that opened in September of last year on W. Fort Street downtown. Most folks in Southwest Detroit don’t really know about that or the nearby outdoor gym at Clark Park either.
But the draw is deeper than just the commercialization of physical health. It is the community space in the heart of the neighborhood and the sense of caring that brings people back to sign up for more classes at Vamonos.
Alexis Escoto, an arts and cultural advocate and community organizer, in Southwest Detroit held an event at Vamonos and has been back as an active enthusiast of the eatery and studio.
“Having Vamonos now a part of that aspect of bringing healthy food and activity to our neighborhood is very important in our Latino community. We face a lot of health issues and to have more options is what we need,” says Escoto.
At Vamonos, you can’t miss a beat, literally. Classes, workshops, and training vary by week. But they begin as early as 6 a.m. until about 9 p.m. There is something for everyone. It doesn’t matter your skill level; everyone is welcome to join in on the energetic euphoric vibes that Vamonos is bringing to Southwest Detroit.
