August 20 marked the three-year anniversary of the Boba tea and snack bar by the name of “Friend’s Corner in Highland.

Owners Sheryll Petilos and Claire Sidamon opened the shop in the midst of the pandemic.

“We survive because of the help of the community, the community is very supportive to us, the Highland community, the Hudson Valley Community and the Filipino American community,” Petilos said.

Friend’s Corner now holds weekend barbecues for people to come and take fresh meat off the grill while having drinks. The store also holds a Saturday karaoke night for people to bring their friends and family from 6-10 p.m. The store has an array of different pastries and cakes for people to try, such as red velvet cake, cheesecake and other standard pastries.

Although the store specializes in bubble tea, they also serve marble soda, regular tea and Halo-Halo, which means mix-mix in Tagalog.

The name “Friend’s Corner” was chosen because when Sheryll owned the boutique, that’s where her friends would hang out; so when it was time to choose a name for their new snack bar, Friend’s Corner seemed to fit perfectly.

When Sheryll and Claire designed the shop, their dream was to create an environment where people could make new friendships, ignite the spark of friendships lost to time and create wonderful and lasting memories. The store is filled with soft cushioned chairs and couches that help maintain a very warm and inviting atmosphere. On top of the welcoming aesthetic, the staff in the store always serve orders with a smile on their face, which entices people to come back soon and often.

The store also caters to events such as parties, gatherings, and other grand occasions.

During the anniversary celebration, Sheryll and Claire decided to commemorate their success as a business and their gratitude to all who helped in supporting the business. Although, the store is exclusively in Highland, the love and friendship that Sheryll and Claire have go beyond our borders. Sheryll and Claire are co-founding members of Helping Hands-FilAm Inc., it's a non-profit organization located in Ulster County.

The foundation was created in 2017. The program is used to help less fortunate children in the Philippines by raising money to build schools.

The program also provides scholarships for selected children’s schooling for 4 to 5 years. To raise money, Friend’s Corner is used as a primary spot to host fundraising events for the foundation.

Sheryll and Claire have hopes to keep the spirit of friendship increasing with every year.