My Yo My, the self-serve frozen-yogurt bar on Water Street, slipped out of Milwaukee’s dessert scene on Jan. 31, closing after a nearly 14-year run just outside the Historic Third Ward. The 1,180-square-foot corner unit at 100 S. Water St. is now on the market, with options to lease or buy at a list price of $359,000. Any deal would cover the real estate only, not the kitchen or service equipment. For Third Ward regulars, it is another sign of the long-tail shrinkage of the fro-yo era.
According to Urban Milwaukee, the owner’s registered agent, Tony Weiss, appeared before the Milwaukee Licenses Committee to withdraw a renewal application and confirmed the storefront’s closure. The outlet reports the shop was listed in early February, again with lease-or-purchase options at the same $359,000 list price, and notes that a second Fox Point location has also closed. The listing plays up features such as a large outdoor patio, a tall Russian timber ceiling and expansive windows.
About the space
The corner unit comes in at about 1,180 square feet where S. Water meets E. Seeboth, with a sunken patio that stayed busy on warm nights when fro-yo still reigned. Paul Monigal, the Corley Real Estate agent handling the listing, is based in the Third Ward and has handled multiple downtown retail and condominium offerings; see his profile on Corley Real Estate. Whoever takes over the spot should expect a ground-up interior job, since the advertised sale does not include equipment or fixtures.
Owner and building context
The storefront is attached to The Waterfront condominiums, a riverside development linked to architect-developer Peter Renner. Milwaukee Magazine has detailed Renner’s role in reshaping the riverfront. My Yo My operated under the broader V&J Holding Companies umbrella; founder Valerie Daniels-Carter is a longtime local franchise leader with a sizable portfolio of Pizza Hut, Burger King and other outlets, according to BizTimes. City property records and the listing show the parcel is assessed at about $188,000 and that any sale would include the real estate only, not equipment, as Urban Milwaukee reports.
Fro-yo's shrinking footprint
My Yo My opened amid a national self-serve fro-yo boom about a decade and a half ago, and local coverage at the time flagged plans for a Water Street location in 2012. A Journal Sentinel item from 2012 tracked the wave of new frozen-yogurt shops arriving in the city. Today, only a handful of independents remain, including Yo Factory on the East Side at 2203 N. Farwell Ave., which still advertises rotating flavors and toppings on its site.
For operators and investors, the former My Yo My space offers a walk-in Third Ward footprint, but it will take capital to re-equip the interior and line up the necessary operating permits. Corley Real Estate’s Paul Monigal is listed as the contact for showings and terms; his profile is on Corley Real Estate. With both the Water Street storefront and the Fox Point shop now closed, the My Yo My nameplate appears to be out of local circulation for the foreseeable future.
