Business & Tech

Self-Serve Yogurt May be Coming to Doylestown

Two businessmen are raising money to try to open a storefront downtown.

Bhupinder Singh Ubhi wants to know if Doylestown likes frozen yogurt enough to chip in to help him open a retail storefront downtown.

The businessman and his partner Amey Kanade has launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com to raise the last bit of money to bring HandleBar to town.

HandleBar would be a self-serve frozen yogurt shop with a wide array of "exotic" toppings. Customers fill a bowl with their choice of frozen yogurt flavors and add toppings, weigh the bowl and pay by the weight.

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A similar type of store, , opened recently in Richboro.

The shop would open at 12 S. Main St., in the space formerly home to a Rita's Water Ice franchise.

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"HandleBar will be located in the heart of historic downtown Doylestown, PA serving the most extraordinary frozen yogurt with exotic, interesting, healthy, fresh, locally sourced, flavors and toppings," reads the description of the project. "HandleBar will churn out that perfect swirl of cream and tang, sweet and sour frozen yogurt of your favorite flavors and toppings."

Singh said he and his wife Bhakti moved to Doylestown about four years ago, attracted to the "liveliness and celebratory feel of the town."

He said he thinks their new business would be a good fit for Doylestown.

"In general, people of the area are very health conscious and believe in the sustainable local businesses," Singh told Doylestown Patch. "My friend Amey and his wife Pallavi visit us all the time. During one such visit, while bouncing various ideas for a startup, we asked ourselves how about a healthy dessert place in town. Thats how we zeroed in on the idea of a healthy, exotic self-serve frozen yogurt concept."

The entrepreneurs have started a funding campaign on Kickstarter.com, an online funding platform where backers can pledge money to help get a creative project off the ground.

So far, 20 backers have pledged $677 toward the HandleBar project. The final goal is to raise $7,000 by May 5.

Donors earn rewards including free yogurt or a Mercer tile magnet, depending on the amount of the donation.

The money will go toward a better air conditioning system, kitchen equipment and store interior, and hiring, according to the project profile.

The company has started a website at gohandlebar.com.


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