16 Handles
Audio By Carbonatix
New York-born self-serve froyo chain 16 Handles is opening in downtown Coral Gables, taking over the vacant storefront at 270 Miracle Mile, as first reported by The Burn Miami. Temporary signage is up in the windows, though there is no word yet on an opening date.
The Gables shop will be the brand’s second in Miami-Dade, but its first on the mainland. It is joining its kosher-certified Surfside location at 9509 Harding Ave., as well as stores in Florida in Jupiter, West Palm Beach, and Boca Raton.
Sixteen handles, literally
The name is literal. Each shop features 16 rotating soft serve flavors spanning frozen yogurt, ice cream, sorbet, and vegan oat milk options, all self-serve and sold by weight.
The flavors lean playful, think “Arriba Coffee,” “Butter Beer,” “Black Matcha,” “Dubai Chocolate,” and “Dune Spice” alongside classics like “Birthday Cake” and “Cotton Candy.” More than 50 toppings round it out, everything from fresh fruit to candy to sauces. The brand’s motto is “Let The Good Times Swirl.”
16 Handles opened its first shop in Manhattan’s East Village in 2008, when founder Solomon Choi introduced self-serve frozen yogurt to New York City and grew the concept into a franchise with dozens of locations across the East Coast. In August 2022, Neil Hershman, the brand’s largest franchisee, acquired the company and took over as CEO, with YouTuber Danny Duncan signing on as co-owner and chief creative officer.
Duncan, who grew up in Englewood on Florida’s Gulf Coast, said at the time he planned to open a store in his hometown and help push the chain’s expansion across the country. The Florida footprint has been growing ever since.
16 Handles
Taking over a historic corner
The fro-yo chain is inheriting one of Miracle Mile’s oldest addresses.
Snow’s Jewelers opened at 270 Miracle Mile in 1974 and spent more than 50 years selling engagement rings, watches, and custom pieces to generations of Gables families before owners retired and closed the storefront in April, according to the Miami Herald.
The couple still sees longtime clients by appointment from a smaller office on LeJeune Road, but the old corner’s next act is frozen yogurt.
16 Handles. 270 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 16handles.com. Coming soon.
