York’s former Burgins Perfumery is to reopen as a tea room – with a difference!

It is one of York’s most distinctive shops, on the corner of St Helen’s Square and Coney Street, a hop and a jump from the Mansion House.

For 137 years it was home to Burgin’s Perfumery. But it has lain empty since owner Hanus Wolf closed the business in 2017, saying that digital shopping, out-of-town stores and the decline of Coney Street had all played a part in his decision.

Permission was granted to turn it into a café. But Lucky Days scrapped plans to open a fourth branch there, saying they had come up against too much red tape.

Finally, next month it will reopen – almost three years to the day since Burgins closed.

And the new offer couldn’t be more different…

Lovely bubbly

Chatime is all about tea. But nothing like that served up from pristine teapots a few yards away at Bettys.

Instead it serves “quintessentially traditional Taiwanese bubble tea, lovingly, and vigorously hand-shaken”.

There are already lots of Chatimes in London, as well as branches in Leeds and Sheffield.

The owner of York’s franchise, George, told YorkMix that it aims to be open by 1 July.

He is busily creating a new counter inside the shop, which comes with the slogan, ‘Shaking Tea Up’.

Chatime sells a huge range of hot and cold drinks including

• Chocolate Milk Tea – £3.45/£3.95
• Matcha Milk Tea – £3.45/£3.95
• Brown Rice Green Milk Tea – £3.95
• Taro Milk Tea – £3.95
• Honeydew Slush – £3.75/£4.25
• Kumquat Green Tea – £4.25.

Although York has had a taste of bubble tea before, courtesy of the kiosk in the Coppergate Centre, this looks set to take the trend to a new level.