By Sam Harwood
Special to Brentwood News
Since the yogurt shoppe opened five years ago, it has become a fixture in the Pacific Palisades. With a second store slated to open in Brentwood Village – located at 11726 Barrington Court – it has set the standard for local businesses grounding themselves in the local community.
Owner Kevin Sabin grew up in Brooklyn. When he and his family moved to the Palisades 15 years ago, he was drawn to the neighborhood’s sense of community he found in his native borough.
Replicating that true communal feeling that Brooklyn is famous for, as if everybody knew each other’s name, Sabin wanted to do his part to maintain that area’s special quality and contribute back to the community.
This attitude informs every aspect of the yogurt shoppe. The produce comes from the local farmer’s market. Toppings like cookies and brownies come from local bakers. And unlike most frozen yogurt shops, the yogurt shoppe does not use a freezer. Instead, they consistently restock their yogurt every week, bringing in new flavors, and ensuring maximum freshness and consistent support for local producers.
The store is designed to provide a social life for the community. All hires live in the area and many have been high school students looking for their first job. Sabin saw how easy it was for people at other frozen yogurt stores to sit at a table, open a computer and ensconce themselves from others. He wanted to arrange the seating at the yogurt shoppe “so people can actually talk to each other.”
The decor of the shoppe is reminiscent of Sabin’s native New York; the walls are NYC subway tile, fixtures are from an old schoolhouse in New York, and historical Brentwood photographs are displayed on the walls.
This communal structure allows for one of the most unique features of the yogurt shoppe, which Sabin called the “Happy Hour Fundraiser.” Over the course of two weeks, 15 percent of all earnings made between the hours of 5 pm and 7 pm go to a local cause. A different cause is taken up at the beginning and goes to the next two-week cycle. In those cycles, the shop has raised nearly $40,000 for local schools, teams, troops, temples and churches and special interests.
Brentwood is hoping to replicate the yogurt shoppe’s model and attain some of the success it achieved in the Palisades. That is why three investors, including actress Marcia Gay Harden, have partnered with Sabin to open the second store in Brentwood Village, slated to open sometime this March. Soon enough, it may well be difficult not to see the yogurt shoppe as a center for communal life, wherever you are.
the yogurt shoppe | Brentwood is planning to have a “soft” opening party where there will be music, balloons and, of course, free yogurt.
To be notified, join the yogurt shoppe’s newsletter online at www.theyogurtshoppe.com and follow them on social media @yogurtshoppe.
For employment opportunities please contact Kelly at kellyb@theyogurtshoppe.com.
