New kava tea bar debuts on Court Street

Over the past few weeks, a new kava tea bar, Big Run Kava Bar, has softly launched at 72 N. Court St., Athens.

Although the new business has been open for a few weeks, they officially celebrated the opening on July 13 with a grand opening party.

The eight-hour long event gave people the option to stop by and have a one-on-one experience with the owners, Shaylee and Brandon Tucker.

“Most grand opening parties are probably not this long, but I wanted people to get to experience it in their own way,” said Shaylee Tucker. “The whole thing about a kava bar is the culture of kava and where it comes from, so I think it was very important for us to introduce it individually rather than have it cluttered with 20 or 30 people in here at once, it’s not as personal in a way. With my husband and I being the owners and the ones working behind the bar, I really wanted it to be a personal experience.”

Those who stopped in had the option to try different drinks, do trivia and enjoy snacks.

The business is open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Prices range from $1-10. The menu offers a variety of both teas and coffees, but their speciality is in kava and elixir tea, which have differing effects.

Whether you want it to have an energetic or relaxed feeling, the different teas are meant to provide a social environment without alcohol.

The Tuckers seem to be pleased with how the business is operating so far.

“We’ve had a lot of great feedback, and everyone who has come in has loved it,” added Tucker. “I think the main thing is that trying something new is intimidating, but it’s something that’s needed in the area. The people that have tried it have loved it.”

Although there are a variety of drinks offered on the menu and there is something for everybody, many people have been trying the kava.

“People have actually gravitated toward the kava more than the elixir,” said Tucker. “I think the reason being is that there is a lot more of an experience behind it being that we welcome you into our tribe when you first walk in the door and hopefully make it something that you’ll remember and want to come back for.”

Since it is summer and the population of Athens is lower, there has still been a significant amount of locals who have stopped in. However, it is expected that business will pick up when students return in August.

“I think offering an alternative to alcohol while having an establishment that has a bar atmosphere but is not consumed by alcohol is going to be beneficial for the college students,” said Tucker. “I think at the same time as well we’re still much farther down from the university especially during the day time, and it’ll be a nice even crowd of college students who have the time to come down and hang out as well as for the locals too.”

A common pressure of college is the presence of alcohol, whether that’s within parties or bars. Big Run Kava offers an environment where both students and other locals can enjoy the social atmosphere without alcohol.

“We’re still working on adding more to the area, but we have an area where you can sit and play board games, and occasionally one of our regulars will bring in Mario-Kart, so that’s really fun,” added Tucker. “So it’s different, because we have the bar, and the atmosphere of it, but it’s all good vibes. There’s nothing altering your impairment.”

For those wanting to try something new, whether it’s the drinks or the environment, Big Run Kava Bar has much to offer to the Athens area and is worth checking out.