Before frozen yogurt shop Aspen Leaf opened its doors for business at 11 a.m. Wednesday, more than 100 people had already decided they like it.

Retail operations manager Steve Perlowski said the Facebook page for the DeKalb store has received more attention than any other recently-opened store in the Aspen Leaf Self Serve Frozen Yogurt chain.

“We’ve had more Facebook fans than stores that have been open a month,” he said. “The buzz has been good.”

Aspen Leaf at 1013 Lincoln Highway is the first of the chain in Illinois and the first frozen yogurt shop in DeKalb. Aspen Leaf Self Serve Frozen Yogurt has 12 stores in seven states and plans to open a shop in Arizona in a few weeks.

The DeKalb location was opened as part of a round of Aspen Leaf openings near universities and in towns that have no other frozen yogurt shop. Perlowski said college students still venture out for frozen treats in a frozen tundra.

“We’ve done it in some other towns,” he said. “This winter hasn’t been brutally cold…People still go out.”

Perlowski also pointed out that Aspen Leaf has a fireplace. Customers can also use the free Wi-Fi or watch the store’s flat-screen TVs.

Chelsea Moan, senior elementary education major, and senior biology major Joe Cotton sought out DeKalb’s Aspen Leaf after growing to like a self-serve frozen yogurt shop in Moan’s home town.

Moan said she likes frozen yogurt because it’s healthier than ice cream.

Perlowski said the frozen yogurt served at Aspen Leaf is fat free, organic and all-natural. According to the Aspen Leaf website, dairy-free and no-sugar-added flavors are also available. The 70 toppings range from candy to fresh fruit to nine exclusive toppings from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Aspen Leaf’s parent company.

Customers serve themselves, choosing from 16 different flavors and adding however many toppings they like. The price of the yogurt is weight-based at 45 cents per ounce.

Perlowski said he expects a good customer turnout for Aspen Leaf in its opening week.

Cotton and Moan were a few of the first customers in the store Wednesday.

Cotton, who chose chocolate, and Moan, who chose vanilla and looked forward to adding gummi bears and Oreos at the topping station, agreed they would make Aspen Leaf a regular hangout.

“Yeah, once a month,” Cotton said.

“Once a month?” Moan laughed. “Once a week.”