Frankie Kelley has spent the past several months feeding his family and friends a lot of tea.
It is, he said, part of the research and development process for Summertime Sips, his loaded tea and specialty beverage shop scheduled to open July 1 in Foothills Mall.
“Everyone that comes over (to our house) gets a tea,” Kelley said. “So we’ve been drinking a lot of tea, which is good. It’s addictive.”
Loaded teas — green tea-based drinks blended with B vitamins, natural flavors and caffeine — have become one of the faster-growing beverage concepts in the South over the past decade, fueled in part by social media and a growing consumer appetite for drinks that taste indulgent but carry a health benefit.
While it’s difficult to confirm market statistics for loaded teas, the concept is part of a growing national trend toward healthy sweet drinks — the number of bubble tea shops in the United States has more than doubled since 2020, topping 6,600 locations, according to IBISWorld.
Kelley said his version of loaded teas won’t taste like a health drink.
“It tastes very good. Sweet. It’s a very, very refreshing drink,” he explained.
In addition to loaded teas — offered in multiple flavors with a kid’s version also available — Summertime Sips will serve bubble tea and is considering adding dirty sodas, a customizable carbonated drink trend that has gained significant national attention in recent years.
But the item Kelley is most eager to introduce to Blount County has nothing to do with beverages.
A native of West Virginia, Kelley said he grew up eating pepperoni rolls — a stuffed bread roll filled with pepperoni and cheese that is a regional staple in his home state — and has never seen them offered locally.
“That’s an item that my family has made,” he said. “I remember growing up as a kid, my aunts and everybody in the kitchen baking pepperoni rolls, and you never see them here.”
Oreo balls made from a family recipe and specialty popcorn will also be on the menu, rounding out what Kelley describes as a snack-and-sip concept aimed at customers who want something satisfying without committing to a full meal.
Kelley, who spent several years managing a Food Lion store before branching out on his own, said he chose Foothills Mall for its proximity to Publix and Planet Fitness — a built-in customer base he believes will appreciate a zero-sugar beverage alternative.
He said he expects customer service and atmosphere to be his sharpest competitive edge.
“I believe when people come to Summertime Sips, they’re going to have a family feel,” he said. “There’s a big difference when you walk into a store and the cashier barely looks at you versus going in somewhere and meeting people with a smile and a nice greeting.”
Kelley, a father of three, said he has lived in Tennessee for more than half his life after relocating from West Virginia as a child.
Summertime Sips will be located between Belk and TJ Maxx where the Great American Cookie Co. was located. Sandwiches and Stuff recently relocated from that spot.
