Although there are a variety of places for students to spend their free time off campus in the town of Slippery Rock, an ice cream shop is something that the community has not seen in recent years. This is about to change in the coming weeks, as a healthier ice cream alternative will be made available for students and community members in the form of a self-serve frozen yogurt shop called “Rock-N-Yogurt.”
The shop will be located across from the North Country Brewery at 152 South Main St., according to Dale Boring, co-owner of the future Rock-N-Yogurt. Boring is not unfamiliar with the Slippery Rock community, as he has called it home for his entire life. Graduating from Slippery Rock High School in 1989, Boring then decided to pursue his bachelor’s degree in exercise science at Slippery Rock University and graduated in 1994. He then went on to earn his master’s degree from the university in 1997. According to Boring, one of his best friends, who was one of his track coaches in high school, bought into a frozen yogurt business which is what inspired him to start one of his own.
“My brother and I were looking to get into business for ourselves and decided to open this
business,” he said. “We didn’t want to be tied down by a franchise and we chose a name that would be synonymous with Slippery Rock…Rock-N-Yogurt!”
When asked why he chose to stay local and open the business in Slippery Rock, Boring said that he is still extremely comfortable with the town and the surrounding community.
“Slippery Rock is my home town. It’s where a couple of my best friends still live,” he said. “[My brother] and I just thought we could create a respectable business and have a great time doing it.”
As somebody who values exercise and staying healthy, Boring believes frozen yogurt is a good healthy alternative for ice cream or cake and that the quality of taste is equal. Students will have a variety of healthy topping choices at Rock-N-Yogurt, such as strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, and bananas, and some not so healthy choices such as Oreos, fudge, and heath bars.
“We are literally going to have dozens of toppings,” Boring said.
Students can expect a friendly, comfortable atmosphere that will include a wi-fi connection and televisions along with a Slippery Rock theme. According to Boring, SRU Athletic Director Paul Leuken has graciously honored his request to donate sports jerseys and other university memorabilia to hang on the walls
in order to help make this theme possible. Boring is most excited to open the shop because he looks forward to interacting with both old and new members of the community as well as students.
“I’m a people person. I love interacting with people and it’s going to be really cool to be back at home, interacting with the people I grew up with and around, those who positively influenced me, the SRU student-body and some of the younger kids in town,” he said.
When it comes to the future of the shop, Boring hopes to make it big and be as successful as some of the other reputable businesses in town, such as Bob’s Sub Shop or the North Country Brewery.
“People go out of their way to go to those establishments,” he said. “I tend to think big. I hope to one day be as well-known as the creamery at Penn State.”
The future site of Rock-N-Yogurt is currently under renovation, and Boring’s goal is to have the grand opening in mid-March.
