Mrs. DM alerts me to a new frozen yogurt spot – Swirlin’ Twirlin’ – opening in the 335 West Ponce building in Decatur. Carl’s already posted a pic on Flickr (above). It looks like it’s taking over the old Signature Revolutions spot.
It looks like the only other Swirlin’ Twirlin’s located in Flowery Branch. That location has both a Facebook page and a Twitter account.
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Wow! They must’ve just put that up right after I left work this evening at Fabu. That’s exciting! Love that it’s right there!
Think they can compete with Yogurt Tap? they seem to have a pretty brisk business going on over there
Talked to them as they were putting up the sign. They said construction will start next week and they hope to open by the end of August.
Hope they avoid corn syrup and undercut Yogurt Tap per prices as I have stopped paying restaurant dessert prices for take out yogurt.
Restaurant prices? How much yogurt are you getting? Last I checked it was pay per ounce.
I’ve never paid more than about $4 per person at Yogurt Tap, which is more than reasonable. In fact, my uncle was visiting from NJ and liked it so much he went every day of his trip! It’s truly a gem.
As far as competition with Yogurt Tap is concerned …
the widespread builtouts of new brands (Pinkberry, Yogli Mogli, Cowlicks, etc) and new locations all boils down to the availability of hard-to-lease retail space and cheap buildouts. Most of these retail locations I have visited are very minimalist (and almost industrial) in their setup — almost to the point of looking like the “popup” retail shops that open up in malls at Christmas or in midtown Atlanta. I doubt there is very much upfront investment — maybe the retailers get an allowance or reduced rent from the landlords.
After that, it boils down to location, location, location. I have often wondered why a business can have 2-3 retail locations in the same geographic area (two Wells Fargos and two Suntrust at Northlake, three Publix at Toco Hills, North Dekalb Malls, and Emory Commons, Einstein Brothers bagels at Executive Park and Toco Gills on N. Druid Hills). Most folks are not willing to walk or drive too far for whatever they want to buy and would rather forgo the purchase. Since frozen yogurt is a splurge (a want, not a need), I would bet that many folks in the W. Ponce area forgo Yogurt Tap because it is not worth the walk or the parking is a hassle untl 6 pm. But they would walk to 335 W. Ponce …
Yogurt, schmogurt. I want ICE CREAM! I find it astounding that there is no longer an ice cream shop nearby.
I scream for ice cream, too. I loved Jake’s.
Love the yogurt and Snoballs, but I really want Jake’s back!!!!!!!!!
Would love to have ice cream, too– but I’m not pining for Jake’s. They were okay, but (IMO) were never as good as their word of mouth/press screamed that they were. Now, if we could get a Morelli’s…ah, that would be the shiznit!
Yes! Morelli’s is so much better than Jakes.
Personally I can’t stand fro-yo so i also vote for someone to bring some ice cream back (or better still Gelato).
That’s what I mean when I said European style sorbets below–gelato.
Greene’s has ice cream. Agreed on the yogurt fad. Seems like the fad switches from yogurt to ice cream every several years.
I don’t know how two fro yo places will survive in one town, based on my background in the retail scene. But one thing is clear: it will create more competition.
And on the Clairemont side of town, it’s super easy to pull into Red Mango for yogurt at the Kinko’s shopping center (plus the aforementioned Yogli Mogli just down from that) for folks on this side of town – so there’s really more than two competing. Red Mango has a loyalty program too. We like Snoballs the best and they have a punch card loyalty program too…
I wish European style sorbets would come back into fashion. I vastly prefer them over frozen yogurt, shaved ice desserts, and high quantity, low quality ice cream places.
The nice people at Dairy Queen can churn up a very refreshing BlizzardTM & free parking.
Hearted. My love for Morelli’s notwithstanding, sometimes, there’s just nothing that hits the spot quite like a Peanut Buster Parfait.
I would certainly rather have a Blizzard than frozen yogurt! And you’re right about them being nice. From what I understand, they’ve been a mainstay of our community for some time now. I’d still love a real ice cream shop, though, along the lines of Jake’s. I’d be happy with a Brusters, really.
DQ has been in Decatur for at least 30 years.
40 years+
I, for one, love the Yogurt Tap! It is a small, family owned business that puts out a good product, which is what this blog always talks about wanting here in Decatur. Sure, it’s a splurge, but so are most places on the square. (I don’t need a beer…I just want it!) I love Decatur because we can walk into most stores/restaurants and the proprietors recognize us, say hi, and, just recently, consoled us on the loss of our dog because they noticed we were not out walking her every night. I hope the Yogurt Tap and other locally owned business are around for a while…they’re good for all of us.
We are really alike a small town in the center of this huge metro area.
Yogurt Tap is good, but they don’t really have any consistancey in what’s there other than plain old vanilla or chocolate, and not all the funkier flavors are delicious. Even the plain main staples, are not really mouthwatering, just average. Fine for a treat on a hot day, but not much more than that. I’ll still go there when I stop in the library, but I’m curious to see what the new place has to offer.
I agree. Yogurt Tap is good, but it seems like their competitors have 5 times the number of flavors on any given day as Yogurt Tap does and their stores don’t really seem too much larger.
If this new place has more flavors, they might give them a run for their money. However, Yogurt Tap has a better and more visible location near the Square that will get more walk-up traffic than over on West Ponce.
I’m not a frozen yogurt fan. Having said that, Yogurt Tap is the best I’ve had. And it’s a healthy option for teens after school.
“healthy”
Until you top with gummy bears and reeses pieces.
Yeah, I know but at least it’s not just gummy bears and chocolate which is what they get over at Greene’s. Not that I do not love Greene’s myself…..!
I loooooooove yogurt tap and frozen yogurt, but at the same time I hope this new place doesn’t take any business away from my fav place in decatur- the SNOBALL CAFE!
seriously. that stuff is great. my fav is making a king sized with half grape, half cherry stuffed with chocolate ice cream and topped with chocolate syrup. so so so so so so so great
I am with you Joe. I love the Snoball Cafe. They got me thru a summer of being pregnant and are now getting me thru a super hot summer. I assured them that as long as Decatur parents continue to pro-create, they will stay in business. Such a nice treat in the summer heat.
I understand that Swirlin’ Twirlin’ already has something invested in its brand name but it’s a really, really bad name. I can’t believe they passed up the chance to re-brand themselves with the most logical name for their new endeavor: WePo FroYo! I would support them just to infuriate my new neighbors who hate the WePo designation!
If you wanna really get ’em riled, push for “FroYoLow,” as in Lowcatur.
If they called it FroYoLoPo I swear I would go every day!
……well, so much for DM’s the next big “debate topic”: frozen yogurt vs. ice cream. Maybe thin crust vs. thick crust pizza?
I love Yogurt Tap and have no need to go anywhere else. The owners are inspired people with creative minds – I’m always excited to see new flavors and know that they are fully involved in the business. My kids love going there (ok me too).