A bubble tea company appears to have filed for a city permit to prepare a retail location in Campus North.
The permit, filed on June 6, called for a “first-time build out on a specialty tea store with associated electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work.”
The first address associated with the builders who requested the permit is 601 South 6th Street, Suite 105, in Champaign, Illinois. At that address sits Latea Bubble Tea Lounge, a store that sells beverages “[including] bubble tea and iced tea utilizing all natural organic tea with a wide array of flavors.”
Latea Lounge currently has two locations, both operating in college towns: a Purdue University location in West Lafayette, Indiana and another at the University of Illinois flagship campus at Urbana–Champaign.
“While the University has recently signed a new lease for retail space at Campus North Residential Commons, the timing of a public announcement will be determined by the tenant,” a University spokesperson said in a statement to The Maroon. “At this point, I have no additional information to share with you.”
Latea Lounge declined to comment.
Clarification (7/20/17): This article originally included quotes and information about the owner of Latea Tea Lounge. The tea shop will have different ownership and will bear a different name than the Latea Lounge locations, according to a representative of the new tea store.