Campus retail gets a little sweeter

As fall descends on Philadelphia, prepare to get frozen - frozen yogurt, that is.

Starting this month, students will be able to satisfy their sweet tooth at both Sprinkles, a frozen yogurt eatery, and Insomnia Cookies' new location in Houston Hall.

Sprinkles Yogurt, a Philadelphia-based frozen yogurt eatery, will open its doors on September 18 at 3606 Chestnut St. Sprinkles features 14 different flavors of self-serve frozen yogurt with over 30 toppings.

The University City location is the second for Sprinkles, which opened a store in Cherry Hill, N.J., earlier this year. The owners plan to open two more locations in Malvern, Pa., and West Chester, Pa., in the coming months.

Matt Mealey, who owns the stores with his sister and father, saw frozen yogurt as a trendy business on the West Coast.

He decided to open Sprinkles Yogurt stores to "introduce the whole [Philadelphia] area" to what he calls the "hot new concept" of frozen yogurt.

Sprinkles will offer Mealey's own take on the trend popularized by stores such as Pinkberry and Red Mango, both of which originated in Southern California.

Sprinkles also differs in that it is self-serve, allowing customers to choose flavors, toppings and amounts to their preference, according to Mealey.

"The self-serve aspect really gives the customer power," he said.

Sprinkles' yogurt will be sold by weight at 49 cents per ounce. This price includes all flavors and toppings the customer chooses, Mealey added.

The 1200-square-foot store will have both indoor and outdoor seating.

Mealey said that sometime in the week following the opening, Sprinkles will have a grand opening celebration with free yogurt and toppings all day, though he said he could not specify the exact date.

"We knew we wanted to be near Penn," Mealey said, noting that the large student body and proximity to Drexel University were also attractive to the company. "We're very excited about opening on a university campus."

Phileo, a similar frozen yogurt eatery located at 416 South St., is also a popular option among students.

Sprinkles, though, is not the only new place to grab dessert on campus. Insomnia Cookies, which used to be located in Savory on Spruce, recently opened on the ground floor of Houston Hall.

The new location will add a daytime retail service to the late-night delivery "core" of the business, according to Insomnia Cookies owner Seth Berkowitz, who began baking cookies for friends as a Penn undergraduate in 2003. From a one-man operation, the company has grown to seven locations, with eight more opening this year.

"The Savory on Spruce location was an extension of the business I started in my dorm room," Berkowitz said.

He added that he had been looking for the right retail space for Insomnia's "flagship" location on Penn's campus.

Though Insomnia Cookies will still focus on their fundamental primary "cookies and milk" business, they will now offer ice cream and ice cream cookie sandwiches, which Berkowitz noted were very popular at other locations.

Insomnia and Sprinkles will face added competition in the dessert market from Capogiro Gelato, which opened in the Radian in May.

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