Trendy Yogurt Store to Open in La Cañada

The latest frozen yogurt craze has arrived in La Cañada. The hip and trendy Pinkberry, the franchise that brought back the dessert that has exploded into a cultural phenomenon, will be opening a branch in La Cañada by the end of the year. The hard- to-miss bright pink building began interior construction earlier this week at the site next to Chocolate Box Café previously occupied by Cute-Clothes.com.

The Korean owned and operated Pinkberry sought out the city for architectural and business approvals two months ago in hopes of launching a store in LCF. The city played no role in bringing in Pinkberry.

“We just make sure that they’re developing with our rules and regulations,” said Fred Buss, senior city planner.

While LCF might seem an unlikely city to open a Pinkberry, especially when compared to westside LA communities such as Westwood and Venice, places where Pinkberry has also set up shop, Buss said that LCF fit the company’s target demographics.

According to Pinkberry spokesperson Heather Wilson, there are no specific demographics “because there are people all over who enjoy the product. There’s a demand for [frozen yogurt] everywhere.” However, local entrepreneurs will often see a need in their hometowns and demand that Pinkberry open additional branches, she said.

Moe Nariman, the owner of the LCF Pinkberry, as well as several Robecks juice branches, could not be reached as of press time.

Wilson said that because LCF has a number of families and teenagers, it makes it an ideal place to open a store here.

Recent LCHS graduate Patrick Lu, 18, agrees. “I think it’s going to be popular. There are a bunch of people [here] who like sweet stuff, and it’s pretty good.”

LCF Chamber of Commerce CEO Pat Anderson added that Pinkberry opens stores in more affluent neighborhoods, “which is a credit to the community that they chose us.”

With Pinkberry being located next to Chocolate Box Café, as well as the emergence of the new Town Center, LCF is seeing an increasing number of cool and trendy businesses while the mom and pop stores that have made LCF unique for so many generations seem to be receding. But Anderson doesn’t see it that way.

“Independent bus owners are the mainstay of not just our neighborhood, but our nation,” Anderson said. “They are foundation of the retail economy and most of our businesses are individually owned. They’re all important.”

In fact, Anderson believes that Pinkberry will encourage more customers to go into other shops and “bring more business into the area.”

For city planner Buss, it’s a matter of customers’ tastes. “Stores come and go. It just depends on La Cañada in terms of whether the market is there … will the population go there and buy it?”

At the moment, it seems that LCF is excited about Pinkberry. Buss and Anderson expressed their eagerness about a popular chain entering the city.

“More business is great. We love it,” Buss said.