ZEELAND — It’s been about a year since Chris Santellan suggested to his wife, Jessica, and their friends, Matt and Ana Chayer, that they open a business together.
At the end of June, that idea became a reality as the group opened their new Boba tea business, The Pearl House, to a flood of customers. The shop at 9479 Riley St. in Zeeland occupies the space formerly filled by Edible Arrangements.
According to Ana, the reception exceeded expectations.
“We were just overwhelmed by so much love from our friends, family and the community,” she said. “It was actually quite moving to see. We definitely had quite the show out.”
More: The Pearl House will open soon, offering Boba tea to Zeeland
Ana said, just a day after opening, the business saw so much support it ran out of Boba.
“It’s all due to the outpouring love from all of you," the business wrote on social media. "It went fast. … Thank you for the patience and thank you for giving us a reason to have to quick order more.”
Ana said the experience served as a reminder that people care about and want to support local businesses.
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“In a world where you see a lot of division, it was quite amazing to see a lot of unity,” she said. “We had another local Boba shop that actually helped us out and brought us some Boba, so I was just blown away by the support.”
The Pearl House is typically open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Learn more by following The Pearl House on Facebook.
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: This bustling Boba business opened to an outpouring of community support in Zeeland