New Tea House Will Offer More Than Tea

The Dragon’s Cup is the newest tea house in Athens, to open March 1 and replace GGs BubbleTea.

“I was looking for [a name] that really crossed cultures,” said lifelong Athens resident Dylan Armstrong, justifying the name of her new restaurant. “I have yet to run into a culture that does not have dragons in their folklore.” Although the name and ownership of the business at 19 South Court Street are different, the source of startup capital is not.

19 South Court has a tradition of failed businesses, the most recent of which is GG’s BubbleTea. GG’s former owner, John Baird, was looking to sell the shop before Armstrong, a self-proclaimed herbalist and tea-mixer, convinced Baird he should invest in her instead. Armstrong said he gave her a $10,000 startup fund, plus all the shop’s equipment and furniture to jumpstart her new business.

“Almost none of it is my money,” said Armstrong. “I am taking an enormous risk by accepting a mountain of debt and taking what resources I have available to me and turning it into a breathing, living business.”

Armstrong has a detailed vision for The Dragon’s Cup. She wants to make the teahouse “a beautiful mix of Athenian and international…, an entirely different restaurant.”

The menu has expanded. The tea house menu will feature Asian-style comfort food including handcrafted ramen bowls and pork dumplings, as well as tea time favorites such as blueberry scones and frosted raspberry cakes straight from Fluff and Crumb bakeries.

Drinks include coffees, shakes, and roughly 70 different varieties of tea with many of the combinations original Dylan Armstrong creations. An Athens native, Armstrong focuses on ingredients that benefit local farmers and producers. Many of the teas offered are local, certified-organic, and fair-trade.

The former manager at GGs, Max Lombardi, said the poor management of the space, which could fit up to 300 people on the two floors, helped drive GGs out of business.

“We wanted to do a lot more with the basement,” recalled Lombardi. “The rent was really really expensive, and that’s what hurt.”

Armstrong hopes to work the extra space to her advantage.

“We might do an open mic from time to time, or a poetry reading where community members can do their thing,” said Armstrong. “I’ve been hoping to do yoga in the basement on Sundays.” She said hosting community events, as well as hosting private events for a fee, will help sales in inventory.

Armstrong brought with her a mostly new crew. Her longtime friend and the only returning employee from the old GGs staff, JT Schindler, is her new store manager.

“People always say don’t go into business with friends,” said Schindler, “but I think we have a very strong working relationship aside from our friendship. The reason I’m excited is that I trust her. She knows what she’s talking about.”

Shortly after its grand opening in March, The Dragon’s Cup will stay open 24/7 for Ohio University’s finals week.