Free fro-yo Wednesday at new Mooresville shop

Well, if it wasn't already apparent (yes, I realize I just posted about Pinkberry a few days ago), Charlotte's frozen yogurt boom is in full swing - with the latest arrival to the scene opening this week in the Lake Norman area.

Most of the shops that have opened so far have been in south Charlotte, which is partially what prompted Matthew Ganis to bring FreshBerry Frozen Yogurt Cafe to Mooresville: He was hoping to start a business when and his family moved to Mooresville from Long Island last year, he said, and his wife noticed that there weren't any frozen yogurt shops in the area. Ganis considered several concepts before deciding on FreshBerry, which is slated to open Wednesday in the Martin Crossing shopping center at Williamson Road and N.C. 150. The center also houses Starbucks, Panera Bread and others.

Ganis is offering an enticement to encourage folks to give FreshBerry a try: Free yogurt on opening day. All visitors between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday will receive a free small frozen yogurt with one topping. Flavors include original tart, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, pomegranate and key lime chiffon, with 28 toppings to choose from. In addition, the store sells smoothies and low-fat popsicles made with yogurt and fruit.

FreshBerry is a roughly three-year-old concept from Beautiful Brands, a Tulsa, Okla.-based company that also owns Camille's Sidewalk Cafe, which has locations in Charlotte and Mooresville. Ganis' store will be FreshBerry's first Charlotte-area location, but it also has locations in Raleigh and Charleston.

On Long Island, Ganis manufactured ladies' sleepwear. Running a yogurt shop, he said, is a bit different - but he's enthused about it. "It's happiness in a cup," he said. "It's similar to Starbucks and your other ice cream places, but it has a little bit more of a healthy spin on it. You can make it as healthy or as unhealthy as you want to," he joked.