Yogurtopia, a self-serve yogurt shop opened two weeks ago in Shawnee. Owner Bill McMahon discusses the impact on local business the store has already had and the future of the business:

How long has Yogurtopia been open?

“Two weeks.”

Do you own any similar stores or businesses?

“We have other Yogurtopia stores and I also own a chain of other stores called Mr. Bulky Treats and Gifts and Candy Lane in the mall.”

Why did you choose to open Yogurtopia in Shawnee?

“Well we did a lot of demographic studies to find out where it made business sense to open and we decided it would make a lot of sense to open in Shawnee…Our target market is everyone but especially young people in the 12 to 50 range and Shawnee just seemed to have all of those elements.”

How has business been?

“Very good. We’re very happy with our decision to come to the Monticello area.”

How does business so far compare to other Yogurtopia stores you own?

“It’s better. The demographics where we are, are better. Our first store is in Kansas City Missouri, there’s a high population, but our age is much better in Monticello and per capita income is better, plus Mill Valley [High School] is right down the street.”

How do you hope to affect the community with your business?

“There’s a very high correlation between business success and interaction with the community. We’ve already had several fund raisers so far…When you do things like that for people they remember… They tend to remember the [businesses] they had a good experience with, that’s what they choose. “

What impact will Yogurtopia have on other area businesses?

“Obviously, businesses open rather than businesses closings are positive to the community…It really restricts jobs to young people and places like us [give young people] generally the first job they have…More places like us providing work to young people I think is vital. And surrounding areas have told us how much growth they’ve seen in the last week or two since we’ve been open…The area really need something like this and we’re glad to be the ones to provide it. “

What kind of feedback have you gotten?

“A lot of positive feedback. I think there’s been a pent-up demand in the area for yogurt number one and I think people understand what we’re doing in that area. They understand yogurt can be fat, but they like that our yogurt is fat-free…Plus you can mix and match flavors. We have 14 kinds of yogurt and over 50 toppings. The feedback has been tremendous, I think people love that aspect of our business. “

What distinguishes Yogurtopia from other yogurt stores in the area?

“We did a lot of research of the yogurt we use and in blind taste tests. Number one, it [our yogurt] just tasted the best and number two, we are one of the few in the area with fresh yogurt, most use powder…Ours comes from dairy as fresh liquid yogurt. Ours is really smooth and creamy because it’s never been freeze dried. Not only is it heathier because it has probiotics, but it’s smoother and creamier. We want people to love it so much they want to come back over and over again.”