Any kid who grew up in Puyallup knew about Elements Frozen Yogurt, a staple in downtown Puyallup.
Within walking distance from the schools, it became a popular place to grab a treat after school, during Saturday Farmer’s Markets, and the concerts in the park.
Previously owned by the Reynold’s family, who also own Anthem, it was sold in 2019 to the Kaelin family. While Elements had served mainly frozen yogurt and juices, the Kaelin’s made the decision to operate it more like a cafe.
“My husband and I decided to purchase it, and it originally had just frozen yogurt, acai, juice,” said Jackie Kaelin, the General Manager and part owner. “We decided to make it more year-round by adding coffee and teas, and other options so that it could be more sustainable all year not just in the summer months.”
The initial intention was to keep the froyo along with the new additions. However, there was a reoccurring issue with the machinery that proved to be a problem for the sales of frozen yogurt.
“The machines were getting old, they kept breaking and needing repair after repair, and we thought about replacing them, but the cost to replace them would be quite expensive,” said Kaelin. “So, with our shifting, what we would like to do, [is] more café food and drink, and eliminate the froyo based on costs associated with replacing the machines”
Since Elements was always known as a frozen yogurt place, Kaelin believes the shift in the menu will bring a shift in customer demographics as well.
“The demographics will change because we don’t have froyo, which a lot of kids enjoyed, the teens and families would come together to celebrate birthdays and various events that they were looking forward to doing, so yeah, it will be a bummer to lose that,” said Kaelin.
The loss of frozen yogurt leaves room for a variety of new menu items.
“I think that we can also expand on the things we’re currently doing and that will hopefully make people excited. Without froyo, we’re going to be focusing on new menu items like jazz breakfast burritos we already launched, naan pizza that we’ve already launched, and expanding juices which we currently do, new variety of seasonal fun summer juices,” said Kaelin.
Even though the frozen yogurt is leaving, Elements is still a place where people can grab a quick bite, host events, or just hang out.
“We shifted our hours to be open earlier for early morning meetings, book clubs, bible studies, and we are also closed earlier, and we can host events and private parties in here.” said Kaelin.