A tea search has taken Tansu Philip and David Friedman places.
Over the years, the boba fans have enjoyed the popular bubble tea in as many as 70 cities and countries worldwide.
On March 8, the couple added San Bernardino to their count.
In the shadow of the Rosa Parks State Memorial Building, Viva La Boba co-owners Philip and Friedman are doing more than selling boba. By opening in the once abandoned downtown breezeway, the two are helping revive an entertainment corridor that, until a few years ago, bore scars from the recession and the city’s bankruptcy crisis.
“The people here are passionate, prideful about San Bernardino,” said Friedman, 25. “We get such a bad rap, the city has such a bad reputation, but the people who live here really care about San Bernardino, so I’ve fallen in love with it like they did.
“I saw an opportunity here in downtown to change the perception, so that’s what we’re here to do.”
Two years ago, like the owners of niche coffee shops in neighboring Inland Empire cities, Philip and Friedman set root in a dilapidated area and imbued their block with character, energy and hope.
Next door to Downtown Fit Camp, another local small business, Viva La Boba is more than a trendy spot for state workers, young professionals and college students to grab a healthy drink.
Philip and Friedman hope their quaint shop off West Fourth Street becomes a community hub.
“We are community-focused,” said Philip, 23. “We’re reaching out to people who are local, showing them what we’re about. We want to create the kind of coffee shop atmosphere where you come, study, have meetings. We want this to be a place for the community to gather.”
Opposite floor-to-ceiling windows facing the red-bricked breezeway, an eye-catching aerial illustration of San Bernardino covers Viva La Boba’s largest wall – on it, dozens of cartoonized city landmarks, businesses and buildings.
Philip and Friedman also have fashioned an artist’s wall for community news, job postings, meetings and other timely notes.
“San Bernardino used to be such a city of entrepreneurs,” said Friedman, a Cal State San Bernardino graduate. “That’s what we’re trying to bring back. There are a lot of really talented, really genius people here … and they need an outlet, and we want to try and give them an opportunity to be that again.”
Viva La Boba, at 455 W. 4th St., is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
On top of running their business, Philip and Friedman promote arts and culture in the area. Recently, Viva La Boba started an initiative requiring current and prospective businesses along the breezeway to showcase art in one form or another.
“Ultimately, we see downtown San Bernardino as a culture destination,” Friedman said. “We want people to come here to experience every facet of life: working, living, exercising, eating, drinking. We want to be a haven for arts and culture.”
In its infancy, word of mouth is doing wonders for Viva La Boba.
Less than two weeks after officially opening, Philip and Friedman called the community’s outpouring of support “crazy.”
With their boba shop now in the fold, the two said they hope this new downtown San Bernardino breezeway inspires generations young and old to invest in their city once again.
“We’re not doing anything new,” Philip said. “We want to get back to what San Bernardino was already like, just in a new style. But the people have always been here, the talent has always been here, and the physical space to do these things has always been here.
“We intentionally picked a place that was dead with the purpose of revitalizing it.”
