Young T&Tea, which used to deliver boba teas and other drinks to Ellensburg residents, will soon open a physical location on Fourth Ave.

Young T&Tea is operated by Emmie Nguyen and her boyfriend. She has been making and delivering drinks since October of 2018.

“We want to bring something to Ellensburg that it doesn’t have yet,” Nguyen said. 

Nguyen graduated from CWU last year with a bachelor’s of science degree specializing in Biomedical Science. She wanted to become a veterinarian and attend WSU, but said due to the pandemic, she was rejected from their veterinary school. Nguyen began to pursue some hobbies and interests of hers, which led to the creation of YoungT&Tea. 

“I did this as a way to make money and pay for rent and utilities,” Nguyen said. “I wanted to make money, but I didn’t want to work for someone else. I never expected to come this far.”

In hopes of setting up a new store, Nguyen and her boyfriend looked at different buildings that were for sale. The original building that they wanted for their business was bought by someone else. They originally wanted to open a restaurant, but due to a small budget, staffing and keeping a steady income would have been a challenge. The duo decided on a bubble tea shop instead. They were then offered a tour of the old Grapes and Crepes building on Fourth Ave and quickly accepted the new building.

Before this new building, Nguyen would make the orders that she received via Instagram or her website, right in her apartment. She would then deliver the drinks to the customers.

Nguyen is holding off on deliveries for now because she wants customers to come into their store when they open. She hopes to offer delivery again once they are settled in their store. 

“We want to slowly start offering food options,” Nguyen said. “Foods that you would typically eat while drinking your drinks.”

Nguyen currently isn’t hiring due to their budget being solely based on equipment. Nguyen moved into an empty building so she and her boyfriend have to install all of their equipment themselves. 

“I’m taking small steps at a time, but we’re close,” Nguyen said. “They’re small steps, but they’re strong steps.” 

YoungT&Tea is hoping to have their new bubble tea shop open either by the end of April or early May. For more information regarding the store and the business you can follow YoungT&Tea on Instagram @youngtandtea.