Love Letter to Tipp City, Ohio | Part Four: Aecha Cafe
This is a series of Love Letters to Tipp City that celebrate the nostalgic magic here.
Follow along for the people, places, and details that make this town so special.
By: Andrea Molina
Today I’m highlighting AeCha Cafe, our cozy cafe that serves bubble tea, coffee, and desserts. Everyone is welcome.
29 East Main Street
Tipp City, OH 45371
When my sons were little and still had gaps in their smiles from losing teeth, we used to ride our bikes to 29 East Main Street for fancy sweets on special occasions. Many of us in Tipp City fondly remember when Scratch Bakery by Justin Tyler and later, Sweet Adaline’s, somehow managed to compress their bakeries into the tiny storefront to offer beautiful pastries. Last year, you may have noticed that there were mysterious renovations underway in the blue tile building and I was curious who would fill that beloved spot.
Siriporn “Aoy” Atkins was born in Bangkok, Thailand and has lived in Tipp City for almost fifteen years. She dreamed of building a cozy bubble tea shop here at home where people can gather. She noticed an opportunity when the former bakery became available and began to translate her dream into a business plan along with her sister, Warassata “Eve” Rodriguez. The renovations added more space to 29 East Main, and they knew it was just the perfect size for people to enjoy coffee, tea, and treats. Aoy traveled to Japan and took note of bubble tea cafes flourishing despite limited space & came back with even more ideas.
Aoy & her family designed every aspect of the shop even the origin of the name “AeCha” is a reflection of their attention to detail. From the Tippecanoe Gazette, upon AeCha Cafe’s opening:
“AeCha Cafe is more than just a café— it's a labor of love and family. The name itself carries deep meaning: AeCha combines the initials of the sisters— Aoy, Eve, and Aeh —with the Thai word Cha, meaning tea. In Korean, Aecha translates to “loving daughter,” a heartfelt tribute to their parents, who inspired their journey.”
- Tippecanoe Gazette, Ribbon cutting celebrates Aecha Cafe grand opening, July 17, 2025
Aoy, Eve, and their mom, Rujira “Tim” Naorm, work together to offer creative drink combinations with fresh ingredients. If you’ve never ordered bubble tea, they have helpful signage and can walk you through the process to ensure you create a drink you love or you can order classics like Chai & espresso. Three drinks that we are highlighting are (from left to right):
Tiger Milk Tea with Tapioca
Strawberry Espresso
Taro Matcha Latte
When I spoke with Aoy, she elaborated that after traveling the world, one of the reasons she loves Tipp City is that this small community offers a “slow life.” She notes that Tipp is full of kind people who support her business and even checked in on her after the winter storm a couple weeks ago. This cafe is her open invitation to enjoy a drink while creating memories in a space she & her family have built just for you.
As we talked about owning small businesses, Aoy showed me where she assembled furniture and how she optimized the cafe with as much seating as possible. AeCha offers free Wi-Fi and they designed the space to accommodate people working remotely with access to a bathroom and an area in the back for more private calls. Many of us regularly pick up Bodega brown bag lunches and dinners next door. With drinks as the focus, AeCha is the perfect place to linger if you’ve picked up a lunch next door and want to sit comfortably with an AeCha drink to complement your meal. It snowed that morning, and AeCha was warm and cozy inside.
Some of you have only known my photography work through this series (hi!), and I’ve been asked if I “photograph people.” Yes! I love photographing people as the most authentic versions of themselves.
AeCha Cafe recently started offering locally sourced Two Sisters Gluten Free Bakery muffins and cookies.
Up until this month, Aoy was a Component Repair Analyst for PSA Airlines. When PSA relocated their corporate headquarters from Dayton, Ohio to Charlotte, North Carolina, she decided to stay in Tipp and work full-time at AeCha. She enjoys the peace of the shop in the mornings and oftens reads books as the city wakes up. She mentioned that one of her favorite topics is aviation and she enjoys reading books about history & visiting the National Museum of the US Air Force (which we do too, since my younger son also loves aviation). As we were taking pictures for this post, several of her former colleagues came in to visit her for a cheerful impromptu reunion.
Aoy loves bringing people together and each person she connects with can feel her joy in offering this cafe to our community. Her story shows that the love of a family can change a city, and we are proud to have them here!
AeCha Cafe is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Follow their Facebook page here and Instagram here.
In addition to gift cards, they offer a loyalty card for a free beverage after purchasing ten drinks! What is your favorite AeCha Cafe drink?
I’ve created this series to show why our town is such a beautiful place to live and visit. I’m thankful for all of you who are sharing memories of living in Tipp or what you love most about the shops & dining here. I want everyone to see Tipp City for the treasure that it is!
If you love the images, sending a photography referral my way is one of the kindest ways to support my work. And if you stop into any places I feature, let them know you saw them here.
Thank you!
- Andrea
