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Thai tea shop venture delayed over septic approvals

Thai tea shop venture delayed over septic approvals

Kanchisar Jiradhanaiphat, left, and John Schildbach plan to open Muanjai Tea on Main Street in Millerton in early July.

Photo by Nathan Miller

MILLERTON — The opening of a proposed Thai tea shop on Main Street has been delayed while owners await approval from the Dutchess County Department of Health.

John Schildbach, who plans to open the shop with his wife, Kanchisar Jiradhanaiphat, in the former Candy-O’s space, said plans to include seating have complicated the approval process because of the building’s existing septic system.

Candy-O’s, a candy shop which relocated farther down Main Street earlier this year, did not provide seating for customers, allowing it to operate with a smaller septic system under Department of Health regulations.

Schildbach, who wants to add 20 seats, said an engineer has signed off on plans for the tea shop and sent a recommendation to the Department of Health. Despite that recommendation, the shop had to push back the original June 6 opening date.

“We haven’t even started buildout,” Schildbach said. “If I can get everything moving, it’ll probably be early July now.”

Schildbach said interior renovations to the shop couldn’t begin until the business had received permits from the health department. A series of scheduling conflicts meant the engineer couldn’t get to the shop until the first week of June, but Schildbach said he was staying patient.

“You’re always waiting on the people who are in charge,” Schildbach said.

Schildbach said he hopes to receive approval for 20 seats in the shop, but expects the health department to reduce indoor seating slightly.

If that happens, Schildbach said it will only hamper the space’s indoor capacity until Millerton’s municipal wastewater system is installed, which is expected to be complete in 2028. He expects to receive approval for 12 to 14 seats inside the café for the time being.

Department of Health approvals are the last hurdle holding things back, Schildbach said. Once that approval has been obtained, Schildbach said village building officials are prepared to issue permits for the interior renovations and he is ready to get to work.

The shop is targeting an early July opening date, with a goal of opening before Millerton’s 175th celebration set for July 11 to 19.

Nathan Miller
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