New Albany, IN (February 21, 2017) – On Saturday February 25th at 11 a.m., sweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt will open their 2nd southern Indiana location. The new location will be at 302 Pearl St Suite B, on the corner of Pearl and Market, centrally located in the historic downtown district of New Albany. An official grand opening celebration will be held on Saturday March 4th at 11 a.m. where patrons can try free samples of the 14 flavors of frozen yogurt and win several prizes the froyo shop is giving away in honor of their grand opening.
SweetFrog of down town New Albany will mirror the Clarksville location with an “experience style” set up. Here you can create the best frozen yogurt experience you've ever had! Patrons will enjoy creating their own combination of delicious, soft-serve premium frozen yogurt, then finishing it off with any toppings they may choose. The toppings bar is stocked fresh every day with the best ingredients like fresh fruit and candy toppings for a light snack, a decadent dessert, and everything in between. The downtown location will have 7 “hopper” machines with 2 flavors each with the option of twisting the flavors resulting in numerous flavor combinations in addition to over 80 toppings.
District Owner Ryan Linnehan is thrilled to see the sweetFrog franchise growing. “I’m excited to have another location in the area to better serve our loyal customers. Justin and Leah are very connected to the downtown district of New Albany and have a great feel for its residents’ needs and wants.”
Partnering with Linnehan on this newest venture are Justin and Leah Alexander of New Albany, Indiana. The couple first started to entertain the idea of being downtown business owners a few years ago.
“We have seen a lot of our ideas that we had actually come to fruition through other people’s efforts and knew once we decided on the frozen yogurt shop we wanted to move on it and make it a reality for New Albany,” stated Justin Alexander, Managing Partner of the business. “We knew there was a resurgence of the frozen yogurt market with more and more consumers choosing a healthier option over the standard ice cream choices. So, we wanted to hop into a growing market so to speak,” he continued with a smile.
The couple has had tremendous support from not only friends and family who cannot wait to have a froyo shop in walking distance of many of the local hot spot restaurants like Habana Blues and River City Winery, but also many local officials.
Bob Norwood of Norwood Insurance shared his feelings on the business opening, “This is an excellent addition to the downtown area and personally knowing Justin and how hard of a worker he is I know it will be successful for them.” Mr. Norwood is not only a fellow downtown business owner but he is also a member of the City Plan Commission Board for the city of New Albany.
Even more support comes from the city. David Duggins, Director of Economic Development and Redevelopment says the city “welcomes sweetFrog to downtown,” citing it as “another great addition for families to enjoy!"
Tammy Hogan, current president of Develop New Albany, a Main Street Organization, echoed those sentiments. “Develop New Albany is excited to have sweetFrog a part of our community. We know it will be an instant success and wish them nothing but the best of luck.”
And the support continues at the state level. "Downtown New Albany continues to offer more and more options for dining, entertainment and shopping," said State Representative Ed Clere, R-New Albany. "In the same way that sweetFrog offers something for every taste, downtown New Albany increasingly offers something for everyone, and this is a sweet addition."
“Justin and I are extremely blessed to have this opportunity. We really feel like part of the community and are passionate about offering a healthier dessert option for the New Albany area,” Managing Partner Leah Alexander said of the frozen yogurt shop opening. “New Albany is very near and dear to us and we wanted to do something to draw even more consumers to the already growing area,” she continued.
The franchise began in in 2009 in Richmond, VA. SweetFrog’s founder Derek Cha, wife Annah realized the community lacked the warm friendly environment found in frozen yogurt shops that scattered the West Coast. The entrepreneur in Derek was attracted to the simplicity of the business model and the low costs associated with establishing the stores. It is a Christian based company that prides itself on being a good neighbor. The F.R.O.G. in sweetFrog stands for Fully Rely On God, and the company believes that by being a good neighbor everywhere we move into through local partnerships, fundraisers, and much more, the stores become part of the fabric that wraps their communities.
Today, almost eight years later, sweetFrog has continued to grow by leaps and bounds with over 350 stores operating in 25 states. SweetFrog is making huge splashes in the Dominican Republic, Egypt, and the UAE with even more locations being developed in markets around the globe.