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ROCHESTER — A new bubble tea shop brewing in southwest Rochester hopes to attract Mayo Clinic patients and staff as well as others to try its fruit teas.
Plans are moving forward to open a Uni Uni bubble tea franchise at 1227 Second St. SW., across Second Street from Mayo Clinic's Saint Marys Hospital. It’s expected to open in 2023, possibly as early as February.
Owner Luona Shi said she is excited about bringing the Chicago-based brand to Rochester.
“Uni Uni focuses more on fresh fruit tea. It is a new, healthier and more creative tea shop for us to bring to the city,” Shi wrote.
Uni Uni already has Minnesota shops in Minneapolis and in Bloomington’s Mall of America. This will be the first location to open in southern Minnesota.
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“We are hoping to create a greater tea culture that more than the younger generation can enjoy,” said Shi. “I have worked in different tea shops and coffee shops. … Based on my experience, I should be able to create an enjoyable environment for tea lovers in Rochester.”
In addition to drinks, she hopes to have some “surprises” on the menu in the form of snacks. As for staffing, the plan is to have a team of eight to 10 employees.
The new Uni Uni location will join four other Rochester bubble tea shops - Kung Fu Tea, Popper’s Tea and two Tea Time locations.
That high-profile spot on Second Street was last occupied by Ideacom Mid-America, which moved in there in 2016. Prior to that, it housed Carousel Floral. It is probably best known locally as Fiksdal Flowers , which operated there for 64 years.
The building is owned by Javon Bea, an Oronoco developer, leader of Rochester's Kahler hotels and the CEO of the MercyRockford Health System.
