More CherryBerry Self-Serve Yogurt Bars coming to greater Wichita area

April 18, 20115:47 p.m.

WICHITA — No sooner had the Orange Leaf item been published today came confirmation that more CherryBerry Self-Serve Yogurt Bar sites are planned for the area.

Derby residents Candace and Terry Wright are opening the area’s first CherryBerry at Derby Marketplace in Derby.

Construction has begun, but there’s no opening date yet.

Utah-based CherryBerry franchisees Dan Watkins and Chad Curtis signed a lease for a 2,300-square-foot CherryBerry in the retail center in front of the new Walmart Neighborhood Market at Central and Maize.

“We hope to do around five as quickly as possible,” Curtis says.

He and Watkins have Little Caesars Pizza franchises in Tulsa near where CherryBerry is based.

They wanted to get into the yogurt business and liked CherryBerry the best.

The Tulsa market was already taken, and Wichita was the next-closest spot. They’re also looking at a Kansas City site.

The first Wichita CherryBerry, which will have indoor and outdoor seating, will open by the middle of summer.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Leases, Real estate, Restaurants, West side | Comments Off

50 Plus Fitness moving from Normandie to Central and Greenwich

March 10, 201110:12 a.m.

WICHITA — Husband and wife Chad and Trisha Lee are moving their 50 Plus Fitness studio and adding a permanent personal training space for Chad, who also owns Premier Fitness.

“It’s so exciting for him to get to have his own place,” Trisha Lee says.

Chad Lee does some personal training at the current 50 Plus Fitness studio, which is at Central and Woodlawn in the Normandie shopping center. He’s also been doing training in the Andover area since 1996.

The Lees wanted to find a more central location between Normandie and Andover, which is why they’re moving to Central and Greenwich. They’ll open early next month at 11414 E. Central next to the new Orange Leaf.

The new space is 2,500 square feet, which is larger than 50 Plus’ current 1,500 square feet.

In addition to training space, there will be room for yoga and Zumba classes and group camps, which are similar to boot camps.

“Group camps are a lot less intimidating,” Trisha Lee says.

Despite what the 50 Plus name might imply, she says, “We’re going to be able to accommodate all age ranges.”

There are some programs, though, specifically designed for the baby boomer and more senior population. There are some no-cost memberships available through certain health plans, Trisha Lee says.

She says the goal is to expand on 50 Plus’ private and comfortable atmosphere with a relaxing new space.

“It’s really spalike.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Andover, Fitness, Leases, Normandie Center, Real estate | Comments Off

You don’t say

Dec. 10, 20103:58 p.m.

“You gotta do it sometime.”

— Orange Leaf franchisee Sean O’Brien, who says opening a yogurt business in winter isn’t ideal but that’s what he’s doing Dec. 17 near the northeast corner of Central and Greenwich

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , Filed under Restaurants | Comments

Orange Leaf opens Friday at Siena Plaza

Sept. 9, 20105:19 p.m.

WICHITA — Sean O’Brien’s first Orange Leaf is opening Friday in Siena Plaza, a Chuck Caro property at 37th and Rock.

This is Wichita’s second Orange Leaf yogurt franchise.

Jeff Finnell, the other franchisee here, opened the first Orange Leaf at the retail center at 21st and Tyler in front of the Warren Theatre in July.

O’Brien also is working to bring Orange Leaf to Caro’s strip center near the northeast corner of Central and Greenwich.

Look for a probable October opening there.

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Third Orange Leaf planned for Wichita

July 28, 20107:55 a.m.

WICHITA — On the heels of Orange Leaf opening in Wichita and a second one on its way, there’s now a third planned for the market.

Franchisee Sean O’Brien is going to bring the frozen yogurt shop to Caro Development’s strip center near the northeast corner of Central and Greenwich.

His first Orange Leaf will open at Caro’s Siena Plaza at 37th and Rock in about four weeks.

Jeff Finnell, the other Orange Leaf franchisee here, just opened Wichita’s first Orange Leaf at the retail center at 21st and Tyler in front of the Warren Theatre.

The self-serve yogurt comes in 16 flavors and has 40 toppings from which to choose.

O’Brien already has identified a couple of other potential Orange Leaf sites, but he wants to see how the first two do before signing deals for other spaces.

Look for the third Orange Leaf to open by Oct. 1.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Leases, Real estate, Restaurants, Siena Plaza | Comments

Second Orange Leaf coming to Wichita, followed by a possible third

June 8, 20106:00 a.m.

WICHITA — There’s a second Orange Leaf self-serve yogurt shop coming to Wichita, but it’s not by the same franchisee who is bringing one to 21st and Tyler.

Jeff Finnell is bringing the Oklahoma-based franchise to the west side in front of the Warren Theatre next month.

Franchisee Sean O’Brien also has an Orange Leaf planned for Siena Plaza on the northwest corner of 37th and Rock by mid-August.

“The shopping center’s great,” O’Brien says of the Caro Development property.

He likes how upscale it is and that it has a high traffic count.

The shop, which features a large variety of flavors and toppings, will be about 1,900 square feet and seat 40 inside and more outside.

O’Brien also is working on another Wichita site which he may finalize in the next week or two.

“We are the fastest-growing yogurt franchise going right now,” says CEO Arty Straehla.

When he and a business partner bought the chain in April, there were 15 Orange Leaf sites.

Now there are 25, and there are 15 more under construction and another 15 in the leasing stage.

The concept started in Oklahoma last year.

“It really caught on,” Straehla says. “We’ve seen that pretty much everywhere.”

He says the stores generally serve areas within a couple of miles of where they’re located, so he thinks Wichita could support several Orange Leaf shops.

“We’re not going to oversaturate the market,” Straehla says.

“Five or six is definitely within reason,” he says. “Maybe a few more.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Leases, Real estate, Restaurants | Comments

Orange Leaf yogurt franchise to open at 21st and Tyler

May 28, 20106:00 a.m.

WICHITA — By July, when it’s particularly heating up, the west side will have a new way to cool down.

The self-serve frozen yogurt franchise Orange Leaf is coming to the retail center at 21st and Tyler in front of the Warren Theatre.

“I’m not kidding,” says franchisee Jeff Finnell, “by the end of the summer, people are going to be talking about this.”

Finnell and his wife, Kathy, also own Holy Trinity Catholic Books and Gifts at 8651 W. Central.

They used to live in Wichita and are now in Oklahoma.

Orange Leaf, which has about 30 sites nationally, used to be based in California but recently moved to Oklahoma City.

“We just felt like this would go over very, very well in Wichita,” Jeff Finnell says.

There will be 16 flavors from which to choose along with 40 toppings.

“And then when you’re all done creating your masterpiece, you take it to the cash register, you put it on a scale and you pay for it by the ounce,” Finnell says.

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