We Bought a Yogurt Shop

Remember the movie "We Bought a Zoo?"





Well, just change that title to "We Bought a Yogurt Shop" and you've pretty much got our story.

If you aren't familiar with the movie, the main character played by Matt Damon buys a house that happens to be in the middle of a wild-life park ... a zoo.  He therefore, by default, becomes the owner of the run-down zoo.  Knowing nothing about animals or how to run a zoo, the movie shows the struggles and eventual success of this man and his family.

I expect our movie will be out in less than five years.  It will show these two crazy individuals - a father / daughter team - that bought a yogurt shop in Georgetown even though they knew nothing about yogurt or business ownership.  I'm laughing as I type that right now to keep from crying because the ludicrous-y still hits me occasionally.  WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!!

Well, I'll tell you what we've done.  We've followed the Lord's lead and this is where it led ... regardless of the fact that we don't understand it completely yet.

We are pleased to announce that we are the proud new owners of Yogo Bowl in Wolf Ranch in Georgetown, Texas.

1013 W University Ave, Suite 130, Georgetown, Texas, 78628

We closed yesterday and we are still amazed at how God brought it all together.  Here we are signing the papers with the previous owner.  It's a done deal!

And this is our most valued employee!

(That's a joke for those of you that don't know us.  We are not endorsing child labor.  Not hate mail please.)

We will be posting promotions, coupons and freebies soon so please stay tuned.  We also will be publishing our website, our Facebook page and our twitter page.  (Oh I just overwhelmed myself will all that needs to be done.)

We would be BEYOND HUMBLED AND HONORED if you would come see our new Yogo Bowl and rejoice with us.  See you soon!

If You've Seen One Yogurt Shop ...

You've seen ... well .... one yogurt shop.  If there is anything I have learned in this process, it is that fro yo shops are not created equal.

If you're behind on the times, let me break it down for you.  I'm buying a yogurt shop, turning it into a health & wellness club and using it specifically for a home base for my National Lifestyle Centers business.  Obviously, that is a simplified explanation, but it's the basics.  You get the idea.

So, as we have looked and looked and researched and driven all over central Texas, I have come to realize that the style and decor of a yogurt shop is extremely important.  It's almost as important as the actual yogurt.  (More on that later.)  

For example, take a look at this well done store (and the cute little boy enjoying some yogurt):

Great colors.  Busy with lots of people.  Great use of t.v.'s on the wall.  Clean.

However, yellow isn't the only color that works.  And a topping bar isn't the only way to dispense toppings.  Take a look at this one we found in Arkansas.

Love it.  Very thought out and well designed.  ADORE the topping dispensers on the wall.

Or - you can actually make a subdued color scheme work for you as well.  We found this one in south Austin and it has an Asian inspired decor.

This one was another one that we liked with the bright red & yellow.

However, what you can't see in this picture is that the cash register is located in the wrong spot.  Everything seemed to bottleneck back at the back of the store near the restrooms.  We learned from this store that you must have the register at the front and the machines at the back.

I feel like I'm going cross-eyed after looking at so many yogurt shops.  This is only a few of the ones we have seen.  The worst part?  In order to really get a feel for each shop, you have to experience it as a customer would which means getting your favorite yogurt and piling on as many toppings as you can fit in the bowl.  Hey - it's a tough life ... somebody has to live it!

The Search is On!

I introduced you to National Lifestyle Centers back in May.  We're moving along!

We are looking to open a club in Austin and the SEARCH IS ON!

We've looked at this one ...

And this one ...

And this one ...

This one was an old vet hospital.  STANKY!!  (But it had the space we needed.)

We brainstormed and brainstormed about what to do with these animal kennels ... in a yogurt shop.

We've looked at large warehouse spaces and small bookstore places.

In short, we've looked at over 50 places.  WHEW!  Yes, it has been as exhausting as you can imagine it would be.  However, we are narrowing it down!  I hope to be blogging soon about our opening!

Until then, you can keep up with NLC through the NLC blog which I have the honor of writing for each day.