Fro-Yo Era Has Begun – Koa Koa Opens

The officially began Thursday, April 19 with the doors opening at Koa Koa, at 17 N. Broad St.

The self-serve yogurt shop with locations in Hoboken and Fort Lee aims to provide high-quality products at a great price, said owner Sarah Lim. In fact, Lim guarantees it.

"Everyone loves it," she said. "They have a taste, they come back. It's low-fat, low-sugar, low-calories but a very high-quality, custom-made product. It just tastes really, really good. Many [customers] come every day."

Entirely self-serve, ten different frozen yogurts are set up (among the flavors are red velvet, coconut, cookies and cream, raspberry tart) with a wide range of toppings (everything from gummy bears to chocolate chips, fruits and more) on the side. After adding the various toppings, the fro-yo is weighted, ringing in at 55 cents per ounce. 

Lim, a Hillsdale resident, opened the first fro-yo establishment in New Jersey, and battled with Ridgewood laws for years before opening on a picturesque spring day.

"I've been looking at finding a store in Ridgewood for five years," she said, growing more animated as she reflected on the recent history. "I've been here at least 100 times and each time the town said no. I wanted to be here because I knew the town would like it. It's such a nice town and I've been working very hard."

Urged by Village Planner Blais Brancheau, the council elected to significantly modify the a document that effectively forced out establishments serving food or drink in paper or plastic containers.

Many of the uses – from Chinese take-out to coffee shops and yes, ice cream stores – were already well-represented in Ridgewood despite the ordinance in place.

What the ordinance did, however, was prevent nearly a dozen prospective yogurt shops from setting up shop in the Central Business District.

Since the , Red Mango, Crave and Koa Koa have all claimed storefronts in the village, each within a few hundred feet from one another. Lim expressed no concern with the high level of competition on her doorstep, each set to open in the next few months.

"I don't mind that other stores are opening up," she said confidently. "I've proven my product in Hoboken and Fort Lee."

Relieved and "thrilled" to open, Lim is excited to build her brand for summer. She'll be adding some tables and benches outside, attached with a bold promise.

"It's a great, healthy product. Stop by and try it – everybody goes crazy for it."

Located at 17 N. Broad St., Koa Koa is open from 12 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays. On weekends, the store will stay open to about 10:30 p.m. and potentially even later over the summer.