A Peachwave Frozen Yogurt shop is scheduled to open later this summer in the ShopRite plaza on Pershing Drive in Derby.
The Bowers family of Derby is the franchise owner and they hope to open by the end of August.
Maria Bowers told the Valley Indy Tuesday she hopes to turn the place into a gathering spot for people, especially Valley youth.
“This will sound like I’m blowing smoke, but I want to bring the community together, especially something for the kids. It’s going to be perfect for them,” she said.
Bowers knows a thing or two about Valley kids. She is a paraeducator at the Irving School in Derby, and was recently named the district’s “paraeducator of the year.”
She is the mother of two — a 16-year-old son, Nicholas, and a 20-year-old daughter, Samantha. Her husband, Ray, works at Energizer.
Bowers is from Ansonia originally, and is a graduate of Derby High School.
Peachwave is a successful chain of frozen yogurt stores known for its array of flavors and self-serve toppings.
The Oklahoma chain’s growth in the last few years has been impressive.
There are 80 Peachwaves, including two in Canada and one in the Cayman Islands.
In Connecticut, there are 20 stores, including Peachwaves in Oxford and Shelton.
Company officials say they’re popular because they don’t charge franchise fees that cut into the franchise owner’s profit margin.
The Peachwave in Newtown posted $406,000 in annual gross revenue, according to this sales posting.
With Americans becoming more health conscious, the frozen yogurt market is booming, with a 74 percent increase in sales from 2011 to 2013, according to Food Product Design.
People like the product, too.
The Shelton Peachwave, which is next to Asian Bistro in The Center At Split Rock shopping center at 702 Bridgeport Ave., has 4.5 stars on Yelp after seven customer reviews.
Bowers said the Pershing Drive Peachwave will cater to Ansonia and Derby students and their families. It will be in a busy shopping center within a busy business district just off Route 8.
“I wanted to do something where our kids can get together. A place that’s OK to hang out for a little while. Back in my day we had McDonald’s. Teens don’t do that anymore,” Bowers said. “I just dropped my son off at the mall in Milford. It’s a pain in the neck!”
Bowers also said the storefront will be highly visible from cars leaving Red Raider Plaza across Pershing Drive, where a new Walgreens is being built, and from the new Panera Bread and Aldi’s, also on Pershing Drive.
Construction on Aldi’s and Panera Bread is supposed to start this month, according to Carlo Sarmiento, Derby’s building official.
Those two stores will be built where Valley Bowl used to be, and the hellish entrance/exit will be re-aligned.
