Updated: Pinkberry's Upcoming Fairfield Store Will be First in Connecticut

Editor's note: This story was updated after Pinkberry sent out a press release about its upcoming Fairfield store.

Pinkberry, a Los Angeles-based upscale frozen yogurt store, plans to open in September next to Colony Grill, a new pizza restaurant in downtown Fairfield.

Pinkberry's upcoming store, which will be the first Pinkberry in Connecticut, will replace Pizza Works at 1512 Post Road and help to fill a void left by Baskin Robbins' closing. The other upcoming Pinkberry stores in Connecticut are in Greenwich and New Haven.

"I think it'll be a great addition downtown," Mark Barnhart, director of the town's Office of Community & Economic Development, said Thursday afternoon. "For a while, we didn't have an ice cream shop with the closing of Baskin Robbins."

Barnhart said he's never tried Pinkberry's frozen yogurt before but knew people who had and that the brand had a loyal following, similar to Colony Grill. "I'm looking forward to trying it when they're here. It seems to complement other things downtown," he said.

Pinkberry doesn't have a permit yet to do interior renovations to the Post Road storefront, according to the town's Building Department, but the storefront windows on Thursday gave a hint of what was to come - pink and purple paper were hung inside windows facing the busy Post Road.

Ron Graves, Pinkberry's CEO, said in a news release sent to Fairfield Patch that Pinkberry "will do very well in Fairfield and we could not have selected a better partner than Jamie Karson to help us launch there."

Graves said in the statement that Karson was a former chairman and CEO of Steve Madden, Ltd., and "possesses incredible business acumen and a commitment to outstanding customer service."

"These elements, along with his passion for Pinkberry, make Jamie the ideal candidate to bring our unique frozen yogurt experience to this region," Graves said in the statement.

Pinkberry's news release says its frozen yogurt is made with real nonfat yogurt and nonfat milk that is rBST hormone free and that it's "the perfect balance of tart and sweet, resulting in a light, refreshing and clean finish."

Pinkberry's customers can personalize their yogurt with any combination of toppings that include fresh fruit, Belgian shaved chocolate, honey roasted sunflower seeds, natural honey almond granola, organic gummy bears, 100 percent pure pomegranate juice, and fresh cucumbers, the news release says.

The Fairfield Pinkberry will serve six flavors - its original flavor, which Pinkberry describes as a sweet and tangy yogurt with a refreshing finish, pomegranates, coconut, chocolate and mango. The sixth flavor is seasonal and will rotate throughout the year. Pinkberry parfaits and smoothies also will be available, according to the Pinkberry release.

Pinkberry says its Fairfield store will feature pebble floors, Le Klint swirl lights and glass-covered walls.

Barnhart said vacant retail space in Fairfield doesn't seem to last long. "We've been pretty blessed as of late downtown. There's been continued activity, despite the economic challenges the country is facing," he said. "If you have a space on the Post Road, and it's priced accordingly, it doesn't last long."

The only exceptions, Barnhart said, are new stores or businesses that require more parking spaces than businesses that previously occupied the spaces. "If you're not a comparable use and you need additional parking or a waiver, it can create some issues," he said.

Pinkberry is mostly in California and New York right now - 64 stores are in California and 15 are in New York City. Pinkberry's also in Denver (one), Georgia (one), Hawaii (two), New Orleans (one), Boston (one) and Texas (four.) Internationally, Pinkberry has stores in Kuwait (one), Mexico (one) and the United Arab Emirates (two.)

The frozen yogurt company's planning to open more than just three stores in Connecticut this summer. It also wants to open another store in Denver and New Orleans and a store in Washington, D.C., Hingham, Mass., North Carolina, Nashville and Qatar. Pinkberry also plans to open three stores in Florida, a store in Qatar and two more each in Kuwait and the UAE, according to its Web site.

For information on Pinkberry and discount offers, the company advises residents to sign up as a "Pinkberry Groupie" at www.pinkberry.com/groupie.