Starbucks will expand into new territory with the opening of a 1,700-square-foot “tea bar” on the Upper East Side.
Teavana Fine Teas + Teavana Tea Bar opens tomorrow at 1142 Madison Avenue. The 11,000-store coffee giant bought the 300-store strong tea emporium brand last year. The Manhattan location will sell drinks priced between $3 and $6 and snacks and small plates between $3 and $15.
The store will replace another tea shop, Tazo. Starbucks purchased that company back in 1999 for $8.1 million. Earlier this year, the Economic Development Corporation released a report nothing that 40 percent of the city’s coffee shops were either a Dunkin Donuts or a Starbucks. Dunkin Donuts, a New England staple, began an aggressive NYC expansion about five years ago and (to the horror of Williamsburg’s slow drip fair trade set) just opened a Bedford Avenue location.
