H-S: "Local Yogurt" comes to Rockwood this June

It's yogurt. And it's local (kind of.)

What's that make? Local Yogurt, which the H-S' Monica Chen reports will be opening in Durham in the beginning of June.

The new dessert establishment will take its place in what had briefly been the Picnic Basket sandwich shop and catering business (and before that a cafe) in the Rockwood shopping center where Wine Authorities and Thai Cafe also are roosted, across from Q-Shack and Rockwood Filling Station.

The plan? Frozen yogurt, with berries and crunchies on top.

According to the H-S:

The menu will keep to the yogurt theme, [co-owner Grace] Beason said -- no smoothies, no coffee. And although the yogurt of Local Yogurt won't be sourced locally, the fruit will be from farmers in the area and the shop regularly will feature toppings from the local food scene. It will have 40-45 seats and be open seven days a week.

Read more over at Monica's mid-week Business Buzz column.

Comments

[durhamagyar]

So... let me get this straight. This place is calling itself Local Yogurt, but it isn't sourcing the yogurt locally, despite an abundance of local dairies?

[durhamwalkingdog]

hey, it's locally owned, will have local toppings and is your neighborhood, local yogurt shop.

yes, it would be great if the yogurt was locally sourced too, but in this climate I think it's fantastic to see someone opening a business. and I imagine there is a reason they couldn't take advantage of the regional dairies.

Either way, really psyched this isn't a chain and is opening in time for summer.

[durhamagyar]

Oh, I was just clarifying. I actually just think it's sort of amusing, given the nomenclature. I'm not much into ice cream/frozen yogurt myself, but it's better than having another TCBY or whatnot spring up.

[optimist]

hoping for some dessert establishment to come downtown...

[Andrew Edmonds]

Good luck to it. This makes the fourth business in as many years at that location: Local Yogurt, Picnic Basket, Sips, Uncommon Ground... wasn't there another coffee shop before those last two?

[NilssonSchmilsson]

Yeah, when I hear something like this is coming to Durham, but not towards downtown, I just get perplexed.

[RockwoodGal]

If it were downtown, I'd have to get in my car and drive to it. This will be a great neighborhood addition! I can't wait!

[Todd Twigg]

I think Rockwood is one of the city's best examples of the "Neighborhood Commercial" (NC) zoning district (UDO 4.1.1).

Despite very mediocre bike/ped infrastructure supporting it (though improvements along a section of University appears to be in the pipeline), this area gets lots of foot traffic from the surrounding neighborhoods: Rockwood, Tuscaloosa-Lakewood, Forest Hills, and Longmeadow.

An older Durham Open Space and Trails planning document that I have shows that part of the N/S greenway would pass through this area and up toward the Shoppes at Lakewood (where it would then be feasible to extend it to Duke U. through the city-owned cemetery properties.)

A massive road diet with sidewalks and vegetation on both sides is overdue for this "culinary cooridor" section of Durham Chapel Hill Blvd (5-lanes from 4square,guglhupf,foster's,etc. down to Rockwood).

I hope that the folks at "Loco Yogurt"...
...er, I mean "Local Yogurt" decide that Counter Culture is local so that they will serve my favorite flavor.

[TSQ75]

I guess everyone wants something where they are....and we are all in different places. cant make everyone happy each time.

While i agree that DT NEEDS something more--and why on God's green earth Locopops refuses to open their downtown location on weekends i'll never know-- at least some of our neighborhoods have someplace they can stroll over to on a hot day for something cold.

Congrats Rockwood!

[Patrick Morrison]

these kind of yogurt shops are all the rage on the west coast. Pink Berry is the most notable. In Southern California we joked that they must have laced the yogurt with crack because people became very very addicted. If that success translates at all here, they will do really well.

[Leslie Fischer]

I am really hoping that this will be a fro-yo place similar to Pinkberry which took the west coast and New York by storm a couple of years ago. These types of places are spreading around the country and serve a delicious Korean style of frozen yogurt, which actually tastes like yogurt and comes in only a few flavors such as original, green tea, and pomegranate. I particularly love the mochi topping and hope that this place will also be able to source that.