Bubble Tea Shop Signs Lease for 3CDC Space on Vine Street

Local Cincinnati Tea Shop Moves Flagship Location to Over-the-Rhine

CINCINNATI (March 17, 2022) – A bubble tea shop that also specializes in baked goods will be opening inside Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC)’s recently completed Perseverance project later this year. Qlicious has signed a lease to occupy a 499-square-foot space inside the new development at 1505 Vine Street.

Bubble tea—also known as Boba—is a drink of tea infused with milk or fruit and served with Boba (tapioca balls) or other toppings. It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and has been gaining in popularity more broadly in recent years.

The name of this particular concept is a hybrid of cute and delicious, and its goal is to bring the best looking—and tasting—bubble tea drinks to its customers. Using premium tea and other premium ingredients to make infused drinks will set a high standard for Qlicious and hopefully gain a loyal Boba-loving fanbase.

Jerry Liu, founder of Qlicious, isn’t new to this industry. His Mason-based Queens Bakery, which focuses on cakes, sweet rolls and Asian pastries including Japanese cheesecake and BBQ pork buns, is popular among locals and is extremely Instagrammable. Qlicious will be a sort-of extension of Liu’s bakery, but it will focus on bubble tea while eventually offering a selection of pastries from the bakery.

Those who visit the space can expect five categories of beverages: milk tea, fruit tea, smoothies and shakes, yogurt, and sparkling. They can expect to find various flavors within each category, from Classic Milk Tea to Fruity Fantasy and Mixed Berry Tea. Jerry has pulled inspiration from his childhood along with other experiences he’s had when it comes to great flavor combinations.

When deciding on the perfect space for its new flagship store, Jerry wanted the chance to share Cincinnati pride with downtowners.

“Over-the-Rhine is a hot spot where everyone likes to go; it’s a cool cultural hub and good mixed-diversity location,” he said. “Being local, we absolutely want to have our flagship store there.”

Jerry’s team checked out a couple different 3CDC spaces along Vine Street before deciding on the space within Perseverance.

“Bubble Tea is wildly popular, and we’re happy to be adding this type of complementary business to the mix in Over-the-Rhine,” Lindzie Gunnels, Senior Commercial Leasing Officer with 3CDC, said. “Qlicious is already a proven concept, and we believe the business will thrive in this location as we continue to round out the Vine Street business district near Liberty Street.”

Qlicious will plan for a grand opening event as it gets closer to opening this spring, which will include specials like buy one get one 50% off.

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