CHICAGO — Ever wanted to own a piece of a frozen yogurt empire?
Forever Yogurt is inviting investors to buy $1,000 stakes in its Wicker Park store, 1924 W. North Ave.
Forever Yogurt CEO Mandy Calara says he hopes to expand the idea of "crowdfranchising" to open dozens more of his dessert shops in the Chicago area and beyond.
"It's a new way to finance stores and come up with a system that engages communities, neighborhoods and individual investors," Calara said. "It's kind of a fun spin that doesn't cost much money for people to get involved with."
The investment required to open a Forever Yogurt location can reach $400,000, according to the company. But through Calara's new site, CrowdFranchise, potential owners could sign up to take a swirl at investing at a fraction of that price.
Calara said he hopes to get other businesses involved on the site, expecting it to work well on the local level.
"CrowdFranchise wants to make your neighborhood better," the website states. "We select proven concepts and franchises which we believe a community would love to support, based on their needs."