Plans to relocate Unique Tea House to the vacant space above J. Michael Shoes have been delayed due to the Jan. 21 water main break on Marshall Street.

Signs are posted at the entrance of the tea house announcing its move to the second floor of 171 Marshall St. — above J. Michael — originally slated for the end of February. But due to the recent water main break, renovations to the new space have been postponed, said Joe Dhen, a manager at Unique Tea House. He said he hopes to move the tea house by Spring Break.

‘I was doing construction inside on the second floor, and now I can’t get into the building anymore,’ he said.

Dhen had been in the process of taking out and installing new tiles to the new space before the water main break, but he cannot continue renovations until Syracuse’s Code Enforcement grants him permission to enter the building. He is also waiting for plumbing and electric permits.

Dhen said he found out Dec. 9 that the tea house had to move. His landlord and owner of King David’s Restaurant, Milad Hatem, told him Chipotle Mexican Grill would be moving in downstairs and King David’s would be moving upstairs, Dhen said. He had no choice but to move.

The space above J. Michael has been unoccupied since January 2010, so Dhen talked to Archie Potamianos, the landlord of the building, about renting the space, Dhen said.

‘I wanted to keep my store on Marshall Street, too,’ he said. ‘It’s a store which is making money right now, so I don’t want to just give up for no reason.’

Once Unique Tea House moves to its new location, it will have double the space it has now, which will allow for more storage space and a kitchen. Dhen said he plans to add simple foods that are popular in Chinatown, such as dim sum and a dish similar to popcorn chicken, to the menu.

Dhen said renovating the new space and moving the tea house would take about five weeks, but he is now two weeks behind.

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Published on January 29, 2011 at 12:00 pm

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