A beloved NJ frozen yogurt shop and café is forced to close

It’s one thing to have a popular eatery and have it become successful and it’s another to become a place where the community knows it will be taken care of.

Westfield’s Bohemian Raspberry, a frozen yogurt shop and café, announced that it’s going to close its doors by August 1st because its lease will not be renewed.

The shop, known as “Boraz” to the locals, is not only an iconic eating spot but has also provided so many services and so much love to the community during its nearly 10-year-long run.

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According to an article on TAPinto Westfield, the shop opened in 2012, right before Superstorm Sandy, and immediately became a warming center for many of the locals who had to suffer through days in their homes having no heat and electricity. It showed its care and kindness to the community immediately and continued to do so throughout the years.

It also was known to be the place where many locals had their first jobs. The owner, Barry Goldenberg, gave some 150 young people the opportunity to be employed over the years.

Bohemian Raspberry has also been extremely charitable, participating in efforts such as fundraising for suicide prevention, the area YMCA’s special-needs program, and hosting an ice cream social for PTO, the national parent-teacher organization.

 

 

 

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For most business people, it would’ve been enough to have a successful business but not for Barry Goldenberg. Instead, he used his success for community outreach, and for that he, as well as the shop, were appreciated and loved by so many.

There had been an earlier deadline for closing, but the landlord was able to give Boraz an extension to give the shop time to work out their next steps and finalize their plans. This time, however, there are no more stays: August 1 is the end.

 

 

 

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There has been an outpouring of love and concern from all of the people who grew to love Bohemian Raspberry and everything it stands for. No one knows what the plans are for 219 South Ave. East, the building that houses Bohemian Raspberry.

Westfield can only hope that whatever takes its place will have as positive an impact on the town as Goldenberg’s shop has had.

Till then, Goldenberg told Tapinto.net,

“We’re offering ice cream and yogurt sandwiches to order. … Get ‘em while they’re cold.”

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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