by Marcus Altman
Smyles, a new frozen yogurt parlor on Washington Street in Hudson, blends the 1950s American Graffiti soda shop with cutting-edge flavors. Everything from the Marilyn Monroe pictures on the wall to the old music to the life-size model of Elvis singing gives the place a fun, cozy atmosphere.
“It’s a place where people can come and hang out. It’s a fun place with good food, and it has great music,” Smyles founder and owner Murray Levine added with a laugh. “What makes it fun is that you can take as much or as little as you want, and you have all the different toppings. My son figured out that there are 8.1 x 10⁴⁸ different combinations of toppings that you can do.”
“My favorite kind is vanilla, and for toppings, I do cheesecake and Oreos. It’s addicting. I’m afraid to mix it up because I don’t wanna mess with perfection,” Nashoba seniors Hannah Freeman and Jen Carlson said.
The concept for this amazing yogurt came two years ago in Washington D.C. Levine had been working as a freelance graphic designer in a marketing department, but the idea of owning a self-serve frozen yogurt business spurred him into action. Levine and his family decided, “Let’s go ahead and try it!”
It took a year for Levine and his family to find a good location for their soon-to-be-business. The properties he visited were either not in a good area or too expensive. But the group had no doubts about their venture, so they were confident they would find the right place. Eventually, he found what he considered a great spot (in Hudson next to CVS and Stop and Shop), which is where Smyles is now.
The easiest part of getting Smyles ready for business was choosing the name. Murray and his wife have two sons, named Scott and Myles. “Also, when people eat the yogurt, they smile!” Levine said enthusiastically.
That is where the easy part ended. Since Levine had no prior knowledge of frozen yogurt, “I learned a lot on the fly,” he recalled. Between asking other store owners and business people in the market for their advice, and the construction, outsourcing, design, and decoration, Levine went down two belt sizes. “There was a lot of waking up at four in the morning saying, ‘What the heck am I doing?’”
Another thing that makes Smyles unique is the different yogurt flavor combinations. The typical soft-serve machine has two handles for separate flavors, but also a third handle for a mix. The combo flavors that Levine and his family have come up with are mouth-watering. Pumpkin pie and cheesecake, make pumpkin cheesecake, and apple pie and vanilla make apple pie a la mode. Simple, but classic.
One combination happened purely by accident. Sea salt caramel happened to end up next to dark chocolate, and it has been very popular ever since. The combo “is absolutely fantastic, and I did it by accident. There’s no name for it, but it’s really good!” Levine said.
Levine also wanted to share some advice with anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur and start something new. “If you have an idea and you can come up with a plan,” he urges, “you should definitely go for it!”
