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Swirls is an instant hit
The “Swirls” family smiles for the camera. (Dennis Chan)
Clean, colorful, and family-friendly, “Swirls”—a new yogurt, coffee, and smoothie shop in Garapan—is an instant hit. Located near American Memorial Park, hundreds dropped by for their soft opening on Saturday.
Harry Blanco and his wife, Sheryl, call the shop a “team” project.
“The name came from my wife,” said Blanco, who enjoyed his many stops at Starbucks in Japan while in the military.
Blanco said his wife came up with the idea of opening their own frappe and smoothies place. But it was a trip together to a busy yogurt shop in Australia that inspired what they have today.
“Everything just kind of clicked together,” Sheryl Blanco said. “Even how we came upon the name. Everything that we offer has a swirl in it.”
Together with their daughters Celine, Gianna, and Hanna, they mixed, matched and chipped away at their current design.
“Pops and colors” is what their daughters brought to the table, Sheryl Blanco said. “They were able to add younger flavor to our original concepts,” she said.
“They are so energetic,” Harry Blanco said.
Right now, “Swirls” rotates four yogurt flavors everyday. Popular is the chocolate. They offer a fruit flavor everyday. Yesterday, it was coconut. On Saturday, it was banana.
The store has a whole line of espresso drinks and a different kind of smoothie. It’s creamier, not icy or slushy. Sheryl Blanco said they use a fruit puree and a creamier base.
And like their logo and uniform, their daughters were “masterminds” behind the recipes, the Blancos said.
