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By EMILY SPARACINO | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – A popular stop for boba tea, coffee and açaí bowls in Alabaster now has a sister location about 10 miles south in Montevallo.

In the months after opening the original Boho Tea Bar in June 2021, owner Shannon Hurwitz realized her customers would support a second location in Shelby County.

“Seeing the success with the Alabaster location, we knew we were kind of on to something,” Hurwitz said. “In looking for additional locations, we were having such a huge request every time we put it out to the public. Montevallo was the number one answer.”

Hurwitz said when the owners of a space on Valley Street in Montevallo let her know it was available, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to grow her business.

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, Hurwitz and her team opened the doors of the second Boho Tea Bar location.

“We have been welcomed with open arms, for sure,” Hurwitz said. “We’re thrilled with the response and reception from not only the college students but the town in and of itself.”

As its name suggests, Boho Tea Bar reflects Hurwitz’s bohemian style mixed with a clean, industrial vibe.

Boho Tea Bar’s menu changes weekly as a new drink is introduced every Tuesday, thanks to the bobaristas creating signature drinks for their training.

For anyone new to boba tea, Hurwitz described boba as three different types of toppings: tapioca boba, fruit-flavored popping boba and fruit-flavored jellies.

She said her first experience with boba tea was about three years ago when her brother asked if she wanted to try his favorite drink and took her to a place in the Riverchase Galleria.

“I was hooked immediately,” Hurwitz said. “We just found that this was something we didn’t have in Alabaster and thought we could bring it to Alabaster and see if it works, and everybody seemed to like it.”

In addition to its teas, Boho Tea Bar also offers a variety of lemonades, coffees and pastries, plus made-to-order açaí bowls packed with fresh fruit and granola.

“We wanted all our favorite things in one door,” Hurwitz said.

Although pinpointing one fan favorite out of nearly 67 different drinks is difficult, Hurwitz said the Big Mike, a coffee milk tea, is among the top sellers.

“Everything is customizable to the taste of the customer,” she added. “If somebody wants to be creative and come up with their own drink, we highly encourage that. They can tweak what we have as well. We hand-make all the drinks to order.”

The Montevallo location of Boho Tea Bar is located at 1225 Valley Street, between Elite & Co. Salon and C’s Cake & Coffee House.

Boho Tea Bar offers indoor and outdoor seating for patrons.

Boho Tea Bar is closed on Mondays.

For more information about hours and new drinks released each week, follow Boho Tea Bar on Facebook.