By Mike Hazlip—
Tea Republic in the Sunrise Plaza shopping center at Sunrise Boulevard and Antelope Road appears to have permanently closed.
A visit to the location on Wednesday found the interior of the suite largely cleared out, including all menu display screens. No lights are on during regular business hours and a pile of mail was observed on the floor inside the door near the mail slot.
Attempts to contact the business over the past month through email and phone have gone unanswered, and reviewers on Yelp have said the business has closed. Reviewers also complained of inconsistent hours beginning late 2020.
“We came here on a Saturday at 3:30 and they were closed. Their Yelp hours say open until 8pm,” one customer wrote.
“Since quarantine started, they haven’t had consistent store hours, whenever I go it’s a 50/50,” read another review.
Also on The Sentinel: Citrus Heights restaurant owners describe struggles during pandemic, shutdowns
Tea Republic first opened in 2018 and the owners soon opened a second location in Rocklin. An employee who picked up the phone at the Rocklin location confirmed the Citrus Heights location had closed but did not answer whether there are plans to reopen it.
Tea Republic serves boba tea, a flavored sweet tea popular in Taiwan that is gaining interest in the U.S., according to food news site Eater. Various teas are combined with milk and black tapioca pearls. Boba is also known as “bubble tea” in some areas.
Steve Dismukes, owner of the neighboring Corner Pocket Sports Bar, told The Sentinel Wednesday he did not know when Tea Republic shut down, but he has seen a number of changes since the pandemic shutdown began more than a year ago.
Twisted Smoke Shop recently relocated to another building in the center, and a public notice of eviction could be seen posted to the door of their former suite on Wednesday. Citrus Heights Chiropractic is also temporarily closed due to reasons unrelated to the pandemic.
Related: Citrus Heights costume shop closes doors permanently after COVID-19 hardships
Although it is unknown whether the pandemic’s impact played a role in the closure of Tea Republic, several other businesses in Citrus Heights have closed over the past year — some of which have cited the pandemic as a contributing factor.
Men’s Wearhouse closed in August amid corporate bankruptcy filings which cited the pandemic’s toll, and Costume Junction on Auburn Boulevard was unable to remain open after being denied a Paycheck Protection Program loan due to a technicality in the application process, according to the shop’s owner.
Also on The Sentinel: 10 businesses Citrus Heights said goodbye to in 2020
