Bend’s Eastside seeing surge in familiar stores

From the trendy Westside to the bustling Eastside, Bend businesses are opening up across town, including Newport Avenue’s frozen yogurt shop, Cuppa Yo.

“We felt like there was just such an untapped market, it was really a no-brainer for us,” Cuppa Yo’s owner, Melissa Clayton, said Wednesday.

Cuppa Yo’s new shop at Highway 20 and 27th Street is almost identical to its Westside counterpart. But the second location has brought them a whole new clientele.

“There’s so many people that didn’t even know we existed over there on the Westside,” said Clayton. “Once we came over here, it was almost like a whole other town.”

Turns out the taste of success is just as sweet. no matter which side of the parkway you’re on.

From Cuppa Yo’s patio, you can spot another well-known Westside business, now open on the Eastside. After a test run at the Shell Stop and Go, Baldy’s BBQ has found a permanent place in the Forum Shopping Center.

“We have customers that didn’t want to drive to the Westside,” said thegeneral manager, Heather Moore. “That’s one of the benefits — we’re able to offer our food to a wider variety of customers.”

A more wide-spreading benefit of expanding to the Eastside: More customers means more jobs.

“We can help the economy in Bend and keep the extra 30 or 40 jobs we have,” said Moore.

The Eastside has long been a big-box store hot spot for Bend, with Barnes and Noble and Old Navy, among others. But Cuppa Yo’s owner says being one of the “little guys” isn’t so bad.

“It’s kind of nice to be a small business in this area, because people embrace the opportunity to support a small business” Clayton said. “So it’s really nice.”

There’s a few more Westside businesses expanding to the Eastside. Mothers Juice Caf is already open on Highway 20 (Greenwood Avenue), by the new Eastside library. Croutons sandwich shop also has found a spot on Greenwood and is expected to open later this year.