By Nancy Jennings
April Sattler has found herself doing what she’d done as a 16-year-old – working in a frozen yogurt shop. Except this time around, Sattler, 50, and her husband, Mitch, 47, are the owners of Silverton’s Heavenly Yogurt, which officially opened on May 18.
“We wanted to get involved in this lovely community. I prayed to God to give us the opportunity to do that – and we wanted to bring affordable prices to families somehow. We didn’t know ‘what,’ but He opened this door, which led to many others,” April said. “The interaction part of meeting and talking to friendly faces
is another big plus to us,” Mitch added.
After scouting out a couple of locations, they arrived at the former site of a taproom business, next-door to Papa Murphy’s Pizza. “This was the only space that already had the electrical hookup we had to have,” April said.
The Silverton couple have been married for 22 years and have four children: Kayla, 22; Cassi, 18; Jeremy, 14; and Joseph, 8. They’ve lived here for six years after relocating from Fallon, Nevada, a city near Reno. Was it a job opportunity that led them here? Or were family ties pulling them in?
“We were in our kitchen and took out a map. Somehow Silverton just stuck out,” April said, matter-of-factly.
“We visited Oregon and were thinking about living in the Salem area, but didn’t find anything. After we packed up everything in our rental truck, we still didn’t have a place to go. We drove up here in faith – and Silverton opened up,” Mitch explained. “We love the small-town feel and we want to be involved.”
Finding their niche in the community came relatively easy after they decided what they wanted to offer – and at a more affordable price.
“There was a small frozen yogurt shop downtown. But every one we visited in this area (and other ones in Oregon) weigh their cups. We wanted to get away from that – and serve the public,” Mitch added. To avoid the shocking surprise of the somewhat hefty cost after the cup is weighed, “full service is the only way to do that.”
They currently offer 12 gluten-free flavors, in cups or cones. April’s favorite flavor is strawberry shortcake. Customers have 22 toppings to choose from. Banana splits, slushies and shakes round out their menu.
Fresh strawberries will be offered as toppings everyday through the summer, with more seasonal fruits
planned soon.
Away from the shop, the Sattler family enjoys beach trips to Lincoln City. They have two German Shepherds, “Rambo” and “Layla,” who are siblings. “They love to play baseball… we hit the balls and they bring them back to us,” Mitch smiled.
Heavenly Yogurt is located at 701C McClaine St., Silverton. Hours: Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays 1 p.m. to
9 p.m. Phone number: 971-304-9294.
