Aspen Leaf opens on South Duff
Photos: Emily Harmon/Iowa State Daily
Aspen Leaf opened on Jan. 24 in Ames. The self-serve yogurt shop offers a variety of options, from the yogurt to the toppings, including fresh fruit and a multitude of sweets. TVs, bright furniture and a fireplace deck the interior. “We want to create a hangout place,” said John Fitz, assistant manager.
January 24, 2012
Ames has a new place to get a frozen yogurt fix.
Aspen Leaf, a self-serve frozen yogurt shop, opened at 414 S. Duff Ave. on Tuesday afternoon.
The Ames location is the 11th Aspen Leaf store to be opened by its parent company, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. District Manager Steve Perlowski said that is part of what sets it apart its their competitors.
“Being a part of the Rocky Mountain Candy Company is awesome,” he said. “They’ve been around for 30 years, they are a worldwide leader in chocolate.”
Aspen Leaf will have nine exclusive chocolate toppings from Rocky Mountain, as well as about 60 other topping options.
Perlowski said they also differentiate themselves by offering many flavors of yogurt that are organic and gluten-free. They will have a rotating lineup of flavors.
The interior of Aspen Leaf will feature a fireplace, TVs, local art and Wi-Fi.
Right down to the word “leaf” in the name, Aspen Leaf has several similarities with Orange Leaf, the self-serve frozen yogurt store that opened on Grand Avenue over the summer. Representatives from Orange Leaf declined to comment on the opening of the new store.
Perlowski said he wasn’t concerned about having two similar stores in a town the size of Ames, since the concept is “young and fresh.”
