Port Orchard welcomes first bubble tea shop

Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 2, 2026

Port Orchard’s first bubble tea shop, which is also women and Pacific Islander-owned, had its grand opening March 21.

Heatherlynn Lizama saw a need and filled it. She created Bubl Cups in the summer of 2025 with her daughter, Ava, but the shop didn’t have a permanent home, however, until March of this year.

Lizama is originally from Guam, and her husband is from Tinian, but their children were born and raised in Port Orchard. Though the inspiration for their shop’s theme comes from their home in the Mariana Islands, Lizama shared she has lived in Port Orchard longer than in Guam, and truly considers it home as well.

The family-owned business is located in the Town Square Mall. “Our new space is special because it represents growth, from a small pop-up into a permanent home,” she said. “It’s a real, tangible reminder of how far we’ve come in such a short time through careful planning, clear goals, and persistence.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Lizama and her family relocated from Port Orchard to Florida, where she was an IT director at a hospital. In December 2023, they moved back to Port Orchard, and Lizama continued to work full-time as an IT Supervisor, on top of her new venture as a “bobarista.” Her husband works full-time at the shipyard in Bremerton while also supporting Bubl Cups’ backend kitchen operations. Their daughter is involved in front-end operations and fulfilling cup orders. Lizama shared that it is truly a family effort.

At the time she began Bubl Cups, Lizama said that little by little she used portions of her paycheck to purchase equipment for her dream, and learn the process. It began as a mobile pop-up with a 10×20 tent, serving drinks at local events and markets around Tacoma and Kitsap County.

“The vision came from wanting to bring something unique and meaningful to the community, something that was missing and highly sought after in Port Orchard. Like us, many of our customers shared that they used to have to leave town just to grab a cup of boba, and we wanted to change that,” said Lizama.

Lizama and her family have been making their permanent space special since the beginning of this year, with the addition of a tribal mural. “The quote featured on our mural comes from ‘Warrior of Love,’ a song written and performed by the late Fiji,” Lizama shared. “I chose that verse because of its positivity and how it can apply to anyone’s life. My hope is that when people read it, they’re reminded that no matter what they’re going through, whether good or bad, to keep looking toward better days and to keep pushing forward. Balancing a full-time job, starting a business for the first time, and navigating the challenges of the city’s permitting process hasn’t been easy, but that mindset has helped me stay focused and continue pushing toward our goals for this family-run business.”

Bubble tea first arrived in the United States in the 1990s from Taiwanese immigrants located in California. The popularity made its way up the coast, and Washington State now ranks fifth nationally in the number of bubble tea shops. Lizama shared that although her own inspiration for Bubl Cups comes from her upbringing, their goal isn’t to stick to traditional boba, but to make the drinks the way they and their customers like them.

“We’re proud to be part of the small business ecosystem here in Port Orchard, and we actively encourage customers to explore and support other local shops around us. We want to create opportunities for local youth, families, and entrepreneurs by building a positive, welcoming space that brings energy and connection to the community,” said Lizama. “At its core, Bubl Cups was built on the foundation of a local family wanting to share their passion with other local families.”