Fro-Yo for Hartsdale ...New Self-Serve Parlor is on its Way

Those of us who've lived near Hartsdale for more than a decade know that the village has had its ups and downs – from the flood of 2007, which washed away a bloc of stores on the southern side of the street, to the economic downturns of both 2002 and 2009, which saw the closures of restaurants, office-supply shops, and other mom-and-pop ventures.

An iconic testament to the hard times has been the shell where Big Top once stood. Once a convenient place to buy a birthday-party present or remedy a misplaced school supply, it shuttered years ago. Since then it's devolved into a dusty cavern, its windows graced by various odd artworks which, depending on the selection and your mood, either intrigued you or fed your nervousness during our town's many blackouts. (Can creepy apple-head dolls come alive, and do they like to give payback for carvings?)

So imagine my delight when, this sunny morning of Rosh Hashanah, I spied two workmen in the empty store, consulting over a sawhorse and circular saw. Taking my chances, I stepped over the threshold and shouted "Is something opening here?".

"Yeah," one of the men shouted back. "Peachwave Frozen Yogurt."

"Beachwave?", I pressed, since that seemed like the more logical name. But no, the men insisted, Peachwave. And indeed it's true—check out here! While the gentlemen couldn't give me an exact target date, they estimated our new fro-yo palace will be opening in "a couple of months."

Now hold up before you fill the comments box with snark like, "Oh great, just what we need, another frozen yogurt place." In fact, we have no dedicated ice-cream or fro-yo shop in our little Hartsdale strip, and for our teens who like to walk down the hill and hang, this will be a nice addition. I could see stopping off there to grab a treat as I step off the train, too. It'll be a nice way to cap off a meal at Harry's, Vega, F+F's, or any of the other savory purveyors that rule the block.

And most of all, it's nice to see a sad storefront, a reminder of the economic pinch, find new life at last. And it seems especially fitting to get the news on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year and a lovely time for new beginning. So welcome, Peachwave Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt—I'll stop the recession and melt with you.