Putting A New Spin On Yogurt, Boom Yogurt Bar

They’re not your average froyo place, their froyo with style!  Have you been?

Boom Yogurt Bar is a very different frozen yogurt store.  It is locally owned and operated and is co-founded by Kelly and Matt Reed.  Sound familiar?  That’s because Matt Reed is a Boulder Olympic athlete.  Kelly and Matt are world travelers and when the came back to Boulder they realized Boulder did not have the type of hangout yogurt stores they had been custom to abroad.  They picked up the idea in Europe where it was common to grab a bite to eat then stay and socialize.  When they came back to Boulder Kelly wanted to fill that void.  As soon as they found a great location to lease they jumped on it and opened up Boom Yogurt Bar.  This isn’t just your average froyo place.  Boom features a more wide variety of healthy products, sticking to as many local suppliers as possible.  They offer a separate meeting room for staff meetings, kids parties, book clubs, etc.  Kelly and Matt have really made this into a family environment and encourage people to stick around, not just snack and leave.

One thing I really loved about Boom was that almost everything in the store was made locally!  Granola for the yogurt, made locally.  The furniture in the store, made locally.  The painting on the walls featured a local artist.  Kelly is very active in the community and supports a lot of other local groups such as Boulder Indoor Soccer, Rally Sports, the CU triathlon team and more.  They try to keep as much of the yogurt local as they can.  But to acquire some of the exotic and delightful ingredients they have to shop around the country.  One of my favorites that I tried was the ‘Wallaby Vanilla Bean’, its an organic yogurt from California…DELISH!  That is another distinction at Boom, they have a very wide range of flavors and toppings and although they are very healthy, they are also very yummy!

They have also been the pioneers of a pro-biotic frozen yogurt.  They have teamed up with Mix1 and Muscle Milk to create the first protein powered frozen yogurt.  I tried it and had to say it was quite appetizing. 

Boom Yogurt Bar is not just a place to get frozen yogurt, they offer regular yogurt, purees, doughnuts, and more.  Are you looking for a new breakfast place or maybe a change of scenery for your clientele meetings?  Then come on by Boom Yogurt Bar and get yo’ snack on!  Located at 30^th and Iris, by 24 Hour Fitness

For more information on Boom, look them up online at www.boomyogurtbar.com

Matt Ullrich, ullrich@boulderco.com, RE/MAXonBOULDER



Person of Interest: Taylor Radio

This week’s local person of interest is Taylor Radio, you may have heard or seen him around town.  Taylor is a musician, fairly new to Boulder but has been embracing the Boulder culture and says ‘he likes it here’.  He has been on the road for the past eight years ‘gig’ing’ it all over the world. 

Taylor is not a one note musician; he plays everything from Johnny Cash and Elvis to modern music like Outkast and Bruno Mars.  He plays a variety of music because growing up he had a very eclectic collection of music.  The first three cd’s he owned was Ace Of Base "I Saw The Sign," Kriss Kross "Jump" and Snow "12 Inches of Snow." 

Although he plays a variety of instruments his go-to is to sing and play guitar.  He first started playing when he was 15 on a guitar that his uncle lent him.  Amazingly Taylor was never formally instructed in music and learned everything he knows from self-taught and his musical ear.   His thirst for performing for people came in high school when he was tired of watching his friends on stage and him being in the crowd.  He wanted to be on stage, to make the crowd move and sway.  To have such influence over the mood of an entire room of people.  Taylor said, ‘a good show can be almost haunting. I love to play live.’

Curious to see him play?  This past week Taylor played at Lucky Joe’s in Fort Collins and is booked back again April 18^th.  He is also playing a gig February 4^th at Eldora Mountain Resort in their Corona Bar from 2-5.  Trying to stay local, you can find him around The Rock N’ Soul Café off Arapahoe on Monday nights, the Attic on Tuesday nights, or Thursday’s between the Outback Saloon on 28^th and Catacombs Bar downtown.

If you want to know more about Taylor Radio or follow his music,  you can find him on his Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/Taylor-Radio/286537921384783, on Twitter @TayRadioMusic, or see a sample of his music on Youtube, www.youtube.com/user/TaylorRadioMusic.

Thanks for the story Taylor and good luck on your musical journey!

Matt Ullrich, ullrich@boulderco.com, REMAXonBOULDER

Get Polished At: ‘ten20’

With Valentines Day around the corner, what better way to get the creative juices flowing than covering a local spa.  Men, if you have not thought of anything special for Valentines day, take a quick read.  Women, if your single this could be a special evening with your closest girlfriends. 

If you have not heard of ten20, it is a locally owned and operated, full service spa located downtown Boulder on 20^th and Pearl.  They are not the fancy or expensive spa, but instead try to create a very urban hangout with fair prices where everywoman and everyman can go.    That’s right, they accommodate and encourage both men and women to come in for a spa.  Maybe for Valentines you and your special someone can get polished together?

Ten20 offers a variety of choices for your nails or waxing.  Peruse their menu and pick out exactly what you want. (menu: http://ten20.tv/_images/MENU.pdf).  They are also fully supplied with beauty products to keep you looking your best in between visits.  Their friendly working staff is fun and inviting.  The atmosphere is uplifting and really fills the air.  So get off your computer and stop by ten20 today, your body will thank you!

Matt Ullrich, ullrich@boulderco.com, REMAXonBOULDER

Forget American Idol, Su Charles Is Where Its At!

Are you an American Idol fan? Or just a music lover in general?  Well then do I have a treat for you.  I recently discovered some local flavor in the musical world, Ms. Su Charles aka. 'SuCh'.  Such is a Haitian-American and works the day as a k-12 school nurse in Denver, but after the school bell rings she spends her time working on her musical talents.  She's a talented singer and can find her performing all over the Denver-Boulder area.

SuCh:  'I've been singing ever since I found out I had a voice' 

Her musical journey is just taking off, but when she was in high school she submitted a video audition for the high school Jazz Ensemble and made it three consecutive years (the only non-performing arts student to do so).  She's also been traveling the country spreading her name, picking up new ideas, and working on her voice.  A few years ago she was invited to tour with jazz luminaries and performed at the Grammy Nominee Party AND the Grammy Awards!  She said that LA tour is what made her fall in love with music and pursue her dreams of signing.   She has also been a major part of leading choirs, praise teams, and even worked with international recording artist K'naan, on the choral orchestration and arrangement for his hit single Wavin' Flag (love this song!).

As the daughter of an immigrant, they did not support her in going to college for a performance art degree, instead she had to put her dream aside and earn a bachelor's degree in nursing.  She became a practicing nurse and put her music aside, until the Haiti earthquake 2 years ago.  SuCh was in part of a first-responders group.  SuCh explained the unbelievable disaster, loss of life, and devastation broke her heart and changed her.  She knew after that, life was too short to not be doing what she loved.  The Haiti earthquake renewed her passion for music and she says it helped her music, allowing her to draw from her wealth of experiences and emotions. 

She is now a full time nurse and a working artist, taking each and every day working on her talent.  She currently has a website and a YouTube page, thisisSuch, where she has a collection of videos of her performances.  Here is one of her videos, original song and lyrics by Su Charles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KOsi6_Qacw.  She is also working to release a CD this February and asks that you check out her website at iAmSuch.com/poll and give her feedback on her music.

She is a very passionate and strong spirited woman with a drive to take her singing dreams and make them a reality.  So keep an ear out, next time you hear about Su Charles she may be on your radio!


Good Luck SuCh!

Matt Ullrich,  ullrich@boulderco,com,  RE/MAXonBOULDER