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After taking the West Coast by storm, the "dirty soda" trend has arrived in Connecticut, with Utah-based Fiiz Drinks opening its first Northeast location in on Federal Road in Brookfield.
"It's soda that you can customize with fruit, with whatever you want - cream," explained David Baulsir, who is managing the store. "Once you have it, you can never have regular soda again."
The store's owners, who live in New York City, are banking on people in Brookfield feeling the same way.
"It is a little random, and I won't deny that," said Baulsir, "but there's businesses opening up all up and down Federal Road - the high school is three minutes that way."
While Baulsir says he is expecting a lot of business from kids, teenagers and younger people looking for an alternative to alcohol, he tells News 12 that so far, Fiiz has also been a hit with some older customers, who told him it reminds them of the soda fountains that used to be popular in the area decades ago.
"An older couple came in and absolutely loved it, because it brought them back to their childhood," he said.
The menu has more than 300 combinations with a soda base, not including the drinks Fiiz offers with frozen drinks, energy drinks or hot chocolate to start.
"There's something on the menu you are guaranteed to like," said Baulsir, although customers are also welcome to just come up with their own combinations.
"You can choose your base of Mountain Dew. You can add peach, you can add huckleberry, you can add cream, if that's what you want, then that's what we can make for you," he said.
Baulsir also tells News 12 that more combos are in the works, which would potentially take advantage of some of the local brands in the area.
"We want to be integrated with the community, we want to be part of events," he said. "We want to be doing all of these things that really bring life back to small towns in Connecticut."