Another sweet-tooth business, The Yogurt Shoppe, opens in Pacific Palisades this weekend, joining Scarlett’s Cupcakes, which recently opened a block away. The Yogurt Shoppe, located at 873 Swarthmore (adjacent to Black Ink), will have a soft opening on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., with free samples for customers. The official opening will be Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Ten flavors of frozen yogurt will be featured daily (such as red velvet, Hershey’s peanut butter and cake batter) plus one sugar-free offering and a sorbet. Fruit for the toppings will be purchased weekly from the Swarthmore farmers’ market, and dry toppings will vary from rainbow sprinkles and blueberry cheesecake pieces to graham dust and fruity dynobites. Additionally, retro candies like pre-packaged Atomic Fireballs, Jaw Busters and Lemonheads will be for sale. Co-owner Kevin Sabin and his wife Jennifer, who live in the Palisades and have three young children, visited numerous yogurt shops for ideas. ‘This store is not overwhelming and over stimulating,’ said Sabin, who grew up in Brooklyn. ‘Our emphasis is on the quality of the product. We’re trying to make this shop a classic.’ Palisadian designer Azadeh Shladovsky helped Sabin and his co-owner Clive Lewis, who also has a frozen-yogurt shop in Newport Beach, create a ‘retro’ feel, which includes recycled lighting fixtures from a schoolhouse in New York. Blow-ups of historical photographs of Palisadian children taken in the 1930s-’40s are prominently displayed on the white-tiled walls. ‘Everything is new, except the studs,’ said contractor Rob Levin, who remodeled space previously occupied by Black Ink, a stationery and gift shop. He had to upgrade the electrical (there wasn’t enough power to run the frozen yogurt machines with the 1930s wiring), add a new air conditioner and light fixtures, install a new cement floor, ceiling and white tiles on the walls, and renovate the bathroom. The shop features a small bar counter with seven light-blue bar stools (replicas of 1920’s bar stools) overlooking the Village Green, plus a long wood-and-steel bench outside. In addition to employing 15 locals, including high school and junior college students, Sabin (an executive vice president with KW Commercial) and Lewis plan to be hands-on managers. ‘Since we live in the community,’ Sabin said, ‘our goal is to give back to the community by supporting local causes. We want this to be a place where families come.’ ‘It’s exciting that my dad is opening a yogurt shop,’ said Francesca Sabin, age 9. Her five-year-old sister Sadie added, ‘We’ll get to work there.’ On the other hand, Oliver, age 7, thought it would be a good opportunity to nab candy, like the frozen Snicker bars that will be sold for a dollar. The store will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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