Frozen yogurt purveyor Peachwave is open for business following a soft launch, officials say, and as plans for an official Grand Opening come into focus, the Forest Street store is planning to mark its arrival in New Canaan this weekend with balloons and music.
The front area at Peachwave includes tables, a TV and microphones with what will be a karaoke area, among other activities.
The approximately 2,300-square-foot space—with stick wood as well as colorful walls, earthy tones on the floor and brightly colored furniture—includes two large areas for customers to lounge, in front and in back, and there’s a small patio out back too. In addition to tables and chairs, customers can sit at barstools along floor-to-ceiling windows, bean bags in back with a karaoke machine in front. Peachwave offers WiFi and TVs in both areas.
Danbury-based Peachwave President Gregg Roberts, whose area under the company’s licensee model includes Fairfield and Westchester Counties, said Peachwave long has had its sights set on New Canaan.
Peachwave President Gregg Roberts in the rear area of the Forest Street FroYo shop.
“We like the in-town feel, with a lot of pedestrians around, especially in the better weather,” Roberts told NewCanaanite.com this week. “When the location came up here on Forest Street, with the restaurants here, as well as the changes on the street that we heard about, it seemed like the perfect fit for us.”
Those changes include a mixed retail-and-residential structure that will go in just two doors down, starting at the former Farmer’s Table space and going past what until Friday was Forest Street Deli and the parking lot there.
Peachwave, a frozen yogurt shop, is open at 11 Forest St. in New Canaan.
Asked about what will be a major construction project on the already narrow street, Roberts said: “It’s kind of a mixed blessing there. It will be a little bit of an interruption, but then when they build it up, there will be the extra foot traffic and parking.”
Peachwave is a member of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, whose executive director, Tucker Murphy, said the chamber welcomes the FroYo shop to New Canaan.
“Food on Forest Street certainly is the attraction and they seem to have found a great location to serve up all sorts of tasty flavors,” Murphy said.
Barstools at floor-to-ceiling windows, at Peachwave on Forest Street in New Canaan.
In all, 16 flavors will rotate at Peachwave, which carries 60-plus toppings as well as smoothies and high-end coffees (from Stamford-based Bonjo Coffee Roasters) and teas, Roberts said.
Peachwave becomes the third FroYo provider in New Canaan, with Swirl down on Cherry Street with on-site owner Sunny Yi, and franchise model Red Mango up Elm. New Canaan includes two more cold treat vendors in Baskin-Robbins up the hill and Gelatissimo Artisan Gelato across Forest.
Peachwave President Gregg Roberts at the 11 Forest St. shop.
Asked how Peachwave would fit into the local mix, Roberts said, “We face that in a lot of towns, and there is an over-saturation element out there with frozen yogurt. So our approach is to really create more of an in-store experience. You can get it to-go, which many people do, and we also really want to create a vibe here and an experience.”
They’ll do that, in part, by bringing some interactive audio-visual events into the store, Roerts said, such as karaoke, open mic nights and poetry readings—possibly movie nights as well, on the big-screen TVs.
The New Canaan Peachwave store will donate a portion of its proceeds to BeFoundation, a nonprofit organization that supports inner-city education in Connecticut and other places, Roberts said.
Peachwave frozen yogurt shop at 11 Forest St. is part of New Canaan's "Restaurant Row."
The company has about 80 stores nationally, including locations in Wilton and Norwalk, and may open at some point in Darien and Greenwich, Roberts said.
In addition to on-street parking on Forest, Peachwave customers can avail themselves of the parking lot out back (shared by Athletic Shoe Factory) and enter the store that way.
Peachwave is open 12 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 12 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.