Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth at Acton's Newest Frozen Yogurt Shop

It's early Monday afternoon and a throng of Acton students scuttle inside this quaint Main Street shop.

Their eyes quickly focus at the colorful back wall where eight dispensers featuring 16 mouth-watering flavors await them, along with nearly 40 delicious toppings to choose from.

The students pay, grab a seat and gleefully chat while enjoying their frozen yogurt in front of a large hi-def TV.

That's been a typical day for Ken Mackey, one of the co-owners of Orange Leaf which opened earlier this month on 255 Main Street.

"The first week was great," he said. "The day we opened there were four girls waiting at the door at 9 a.m. until we opened at 11 a.m. We had 10 kids come in right away and it was really nonstop until we closed at 10 p.m. Each day has gotten better and better, and busier and busier."

Mackey, a Tewksbury native, first became interested in owning an Orange Leaf franchise after hearing his daughter, Shannon, talk about it during her senior year of high school. The Mackey's would wind up visiting the franchise in Andover, the first to open in Massachusetts, and became quickly addicted on the frozen dessert.

"I finally asked her, 'What's an Orange Leaf,'" he said. "I couldn’t believe how nice the store was. The product was great, and I had never had frozen yogurt before. I was hooked on it right away."

Mackey, who also co-owns a car rental franchise, wanted to know more about the company. He and his partners, Don Coffin of Tewksbury and Gerry Goodwin  of Andover, flew to the franchise's headquarters in Oklahoma City, Okla., became impressed with the company's vision and decided to open a shop, which he did on Aug. 18, 2012, in Tewksbury.

His shop was an instant hit, and he decided to open a second shop. After finding Orange Leaf had already opened in nearby Westford, he decided to branch out a little further.

"We saw that this location (255 Main St.) was available, and we loved the proximity to (Acton-Boxborough Regional High) school," he said. "That was the big selling feature for us. The kids can just walk over after school. This seemed to be the perfect location. The demographics of Acton were great in terms of population and income. We were excited as soon as we got the space and couldn’t wait to open."

Mackey said his shop is ideal for families looking to get out of the house for a while and enjoy a sweet snack in a friendly atmosphere.

"We're very family friendly here," he said. "The kids come in and see the bright colors on the walls, floors and tables. Everyone seems to enjoy sitting here and enjoy the atmosphere. When people want to go out and find something to do this is the place they want to come to."

Mackey's shop offers customers eight frozen yogurt dispensers, each with two flavors. There's more than 36 toppings, ranging from fresh fruit, to cereal, chocolate and more.

And all of the frozen yogurt is made fresh daily, and the flavors will be switched out about once a month.

"If you come in here, you can pretty much find something that you’ll like," said Mackey, who added he also takes recommendations from customers who don't see a specific flavor they are hoping for.

Customers wishing to make recommendations can email Mackey at orangeleafacton@comcast.net, or send them on Facebook or Twitter.

"Word has gotten out that we were open," he said. "More people keep coming by to check out the store."

And Mackey also plans to give back to the community.

"If any group, charity or team is looking to raise money they are welcome to come into Orange Leaf and on any Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night and we would give 15 percent of the night's proceeds back to the group," he said. "We make up all the flyers, they just need to bring people in to the store. They just have to contact us to set up a date."