Tom Tokoph

As we previously posted here, the new wave of "good for you" yogurt shops (ala PinkBerry, Red Mango, etc.) have been looking at coming to downtown Tempe. Now, it appears they are coming into town full force! THREE new yogurt shops will be opening very soon! It appears we will have the following hip yogurt shops to choose from in the very near future. 1. "Bliss" Yogurt at the Brickyard on Mill, 2. "IN Yogurt" at the corner of 5th Street and Mill Avenue. (By the way, we have some high hopes for INYogurt as it was created by the same folks who brought us "The Gelato Spot".) 3. "MOJO Yogurt" on Mill Avenue in what was formerly the Quizinos. Yum... we can already taste the tart goodness and fresh toppings!

New construction at the corner of 5th & Mill will include "In Yogurt"

Banner for InYogurt with "Market Fresh Toppings" ready to open soon!

MOJO Yogurt under construction along Mill Avenue (old Quizinos) ads another Fro-Yo concept to Downtown Tempe.

For more information on Mill Avenue and Downtown Tempe living click here

The Pinkberry (www.pinkberry.com), YogoTango (www.yogotango.com), Red Mango (www.redmangousa.com) and other similar concepts which team a hip, modern and usually urban space with "good for you" frozen yogurts and toppings have been sweeping some Asian countries for years. In the last year or so, California has practically been breeding these new concepts. In downtown San Diego alone there are already four of these cool spots! So, it was only a matter of time that the purveyors of these creamy delights set their eyes on their neighbor next door (Arizona). Downtown Tempe has landed one such concept currently under construction in the Brickyard on Mill development along Mill Avenue. This is great news for those Tempe residents who want a tasty treat, but would rather keep the intake of fat from a Cold Stone Creamery down to once a month. (ok, maybe once a week!)



Photo of "Bliss Yogurt" - a Hip Yogurt Concept Under Construction at the Brickyard on Mill

New Bliss Yogurt space in Downtown Tempe on the first floor of the Brickyard On Mill under Bamboo Club

I've also heard that this will not be the only new yogurt concept in downtown Tempe. Rumor has it another Tempe yogurt concept is planning on opening for business in the new retail space on the northeast corner of 5th Street and Mill Avenue along with the new "Starbucks Style" Dunkin Donuts. So, I'm sure there will be more to come! Let's just hope that one of these new concepts is "Yolicious" enough to survive!

If you want more information on living, working or just playing in downtown Tempe, give Urban Realty & Development a call. We live, work and play in Downtown Tempe and we'd love to help you do the same!

Tom Tokoph

Designated Broker

Urban Realty & Development

602-549-9000

Over the past month or two, the City of Tempe and the Downtown Tempe Community (Tempe Leadership Class) have been adding the following signs to the Mill Avenue District. An idea which has proved successful in other downtown environments, the "Give Change for Change" campaign maintains that sometimes a "hand out" is not always a "hand up".
Taken from the actual signage: "Giving change or food to panhandlers or homeless people may hurt more than it helps by encouraging life on the streets and by discouraging people from seeking the real help that they need." It continues, "If you really want to help, feed the change for change parking meters mounted to most of these directory locations instead...". The idea being that the change you give to the meter will actually go to aid organizations who help the homeless get off the streets.

Mill Avenue Gives Change for Change

Signage in the Mill Avenue District

Although this project will probably not completely solve the problem, it will certainly go a long way towards helping clean up the streets and we applaud the Tempe Leadership Class for promoting such an aggressive campaign.

The parking garage next to Tempe city hall is going up fast and most are looking forward to its completion. Why you ask? Why would anyone care about another parking garage in downtown Tempe? Well, for obvious reasons, additional parking is very good for the downtown environment. But, that isn't why we are looking forward to it. This garage will also be wrapped at the street level with retail space thus hiding it's more mundane purpose. Here is a rendering of what it will look like:

No word yet on who the retailers, or cafes may be. But, we'll report here as soon as we know. We'll keep our fingers crossed that they can draw some good tenants even in this slower market. Here is a current photo of the construction progress:

Others are interested too! Here is a link to an Arizona Republic Article on the garage: City of Tempe Parking Garage with Retail

For more information on living the downtown Tempe lifestyle, feel free to contact us. Urban living in downtown tempe condos or lofts is what we specialize in!

Tom Tokoph

602-549-9000