Boba Tree, the newest bubble tea restaurant, opened its doors on October 10 in Wadsworth.
The establishment had a soft opening starting on October 4 and ending on October 6. Four days later, it opened to the public. Boba Tree sells many different kinds of tea, including milk and fruit teas. Popping boba can be added to the drink and come in several flavors. Bubble juice is also an option for customers who do not enjoy the taste of tea or cannot consume caffeine. Some select flavors include pineapple, strawberry, blueberry, and passion fruit.
Boba Tree is owned by the Dickey family. Mikayla Dickey is one of the employees, who works with her brother David and her mother Tracey.
“My brother and I were born and raised here, and we still live here today,” Dickey said. “So when we decided to start a business, there was no question where it should be. My brother, mom, and I run the shop. My dad is our maintenance guy, and my Uncle does the IT work.”
The idea of starting a business came out of the blue for the family. On an evening in January, Dickey’s mother suddenly announced that they would all be opening a restaurant. While it came as a surprise to Dickey, her brother and her father, they quickly got on board with the idea. Two weeks later, construction started on the storefront.
After buying the storefront, the family had to figure out what they were going to sell. Dickey came up with the idea of selling boba tea and it quickly stuck with her other family members.
“We wanted to sell something that would bring people happiness,” Dickey said. “I lived in San Francisco for a couple of years, and anytime I completed a difficult task or wanted to celebrate, I would get bubble tea. Now it’s something that my whole family enjoys. I worked for a tea company in San Francisco, so I already had experience learning about and working with tea. So we thought it was a great choice.”
Business has been going well for Dickey and her family. Each day, customers enter the store to get a taste of their favorite drinks.
“The tea is really good, and all of the employees were really nice,” said junior Sara Himmelright.
However, Dickey shared that owning a business can sometimes be stressful and difficult to manage.
“The most difficult part of having a business is the trust and commitment of it all,” Dickey said. “And trusting that we are going to succeed and committing our whole lives to it. We fully understood from the beginning that this would be a full time commitment, however, on days when the weather is cold and business is slow, it can be very disheartening.”
Despite this, Boba Tree continues to thrive. Dickey and her family members continue to run the shop, serving Wadsworth’s community each day.
“We are thankful to each and every person who walks into our shop,” Dickey said. “I think that once more people know our shop is here, business will be even better.”
Boba Tree is located at 220 High Street, next to the Save a Lot, in Wadsworth. They are open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays they are open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
