Three years after opening in August 2008, Brew 7 — an organic tea house on Merrick Road that serves yogurt, coffee and smoothies — has become a popular destination for villagers and out-of-towners. We sat down with owner Ken Choi as he discussed his delicious products, his loyal core of customers and how a poor economy has affected business sales.
What is the most popular item on your menu?
We sell a lot of frozen yogurt. We have four flavors and it’s all organic and homemade based. The yogurt is what separates us from other places. We started with the name Brew 7, which suggests more of a coffee shop, but later on we found out that we sell a lot more yogurt than coffee.
What kind of crowd does your store attract?
It’s mostly women, from teenagers to ladies in their 60s. Men come too. It’s also mostly people from Rockville Centre and those who work in the village. We’ve had pretty much the same menu since we opened, but we are going to be innovative and try to reach out to more people by featuring a newer menu in September.
How would you describe the experience of owning a business in Rockville Centre?
It’s not an easy place. You have to really communicate with the customers. As we’ve seen over the last couple of years, a lot of businesses have gone away because of a bad economy. Business for us has been steady during the summer months, and hopefully the economy gets better going forward. Like I said, the economy is bad — that’s just a fact and we have to deal with it.
How has the economy affected business since the store's opening in 2008?
Sales were climbing 15 to 20 percent each year. But this year, we dropped 5 to 10 percent compared to 2010. Maybe it has to do with the parking rules in the village, or maybe other sweet shops on N. Park Avenue like Red Mango or Five Pennies Creamery have been a factor along the way too. It’s nothing I can explain for sure.
What kind of history do you have as a business owner and how would you describe the experience?
I used to own a restaurant called The Manhattan, which was a family-oriented Japanese restaurant. It’s an enjoyable experience owning a business, but it’s also time-consuming. At Brew 7, we have loyal customers that we’ve built up over the last three years who keep returning. It’s great to see and we’d like to get more people trying our menu.
