RIP Awesome Yogurt

And yesterday she announced  that the doors would not be opening again at her Kettering frozen yogurt shop.  I had a chance to ask her about it and she let us know “My family life changed a lot over the last few months, and deciding to close Awesome Yogurt came as a relief. One person can only do so much.”

 I asked her to share some of her best memories:


Fogel:  “My favorite memories are  anything having to do with people making connections. A few examples of this include kids meeting up after school, couples on dates and grandparents bringing their grandkids. I’m also in LOVE with all my employees. They’re amazing people and I’m so fortunate to have been the first job for many. They watched my yogurt shop baby when I couldn’t be there.“

 

Next I asked her to share some lessons learned that she could share with other entrepreneurs:


 Fogel: ‘There’s a multitude of things I learned but I think the most important is to not link MY value as a human with the business. Because Awesome Yogurt  wasn’t a franchise, and I made all the decisions, it was easy to take any criticisms personally. Consequently, it became depressing. However, learning to compartmentalize that and continue to be a happy cheerful person ultimately became my decision.”

And  finally- I asked her if she can still eat Frozen yogurt?

Fogel:  “Genuine frozen yogurt is my absolute favorite! Now I go to Centerville, to a little local shop called SoYo.”

And then yesterday this letter showed up:

Dear Awesome Yogurt,

Thank you for everything. Thank you for giving me an escape from a part-time job I hated. Thank you for giving me extra spending money – many Christmases and birthdays were made possible because of you. Thank you for teaching me how to skin a kiwi, how to core a pineapple, and how to perfectly hull a strawberry. Thank you for teaching me what on earth mochi was, how to make waffles without overflowing the iron, and how to keep marshmallows fresh (and also how to spell marshmallow). Thank you for teaching me how to cover max surface area with one stroke of the mop – and the value of a clean floor.

Thank you, Awesome Yogurt, for my memories. Thank you for “Foamy Fridays,” when Sean and I would use an entire bottle of dish soap in the sink and watch the kitchen fill with bubbles – and throw them at each other. Thank you for charades at Christmas parties and silly gift exchanges. Thank you for letting me use your cups to learn the Cup Song and then perform it for customers. Thank you for New Kids on the Block blasted full volume at closing time, and dancing with the broom. Thank you for the time CBS’s Big Brother had a frozen yogurt challenge on t.v., and I tried to mimic it during my next shift by sticking my head underneath the machine and pouring yogurt straight into my mouth while Danielle doubled over with laughter. It was a bad idea.

Thank you, Awesome Yogurt, for teaching me how to use a box cutter…and a can opener. The prominent scar on my left hand will never let me forget the time before we had a can opener when I tried to stab open a can of caramel with a knife – and missed. Thank you for the bruise I got on my butt when I slipped in the kitchen, and the several minutes of belly laughter that followed. Thank you for parade floats and birthday hats, Halloween parties and school fundraisers with lines of excited children snaking out the door.

Thank you, Awesome Yogurt, for Pup Cups – Josie’s favorite treat. Thank you for discounts honoring the hard work of teachers, first responders, and military personnel. Thank you for the excessive labels everywhere, and the time we even labeled ourselves. Thank you for the best tasting ice in Dayton – I still don’t know why that ice tasted so good in our water. Thank you for crafts and decorations – I can cut a perfect paper snowflake and write flawlessly on a chalkboard. Thank you for special events like Flyin’ to the Hoop, where we took half-court shots for free Piada and sold Sharpies for five dollars. I still remember how cold my hands got from reaching into the freezer, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you for Career Day. I had so much fun presenting to the middle-schoolers as a “small business owner.” Thank you for teaching me that yellow is the least popular spoon color…we’ll never know why.

Thank you, Awesome Yogurt, for everything. For new friends, and for bringing me closer to the old ones. Thank you for tears of joy and frustration. Thank you for loud laughter and constant smiles. Thank you for teaching me to sing louder, clean harder, and dance more. To the best part-time job in the world, for all this and more..thank you. Thank you for teaching our community, now and always, to make every day awesome.

With Love and Appreciation,

A Grateful Employee

And we’re betting that this just made Naomi’s day!  We certainly wish her well on the next chapter of her life and hope she continues to get affirmations like this that hard work and endless hours she put in made a difference in our community.