A tea bar and a back story
“This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive.”
The tea bar in our shop, built by my life and business partner, Thom Gallup, hasn’t been used since March of 2020. It was the focal point for the beginning of The Tria Prima that we installed the week before opening in August of 2019. People gathered at the bar and shared stories about their love of teas, to talk about the weather, or just grab a quick cuppa and a friendly smile from their tea tender. In March of 2020 with the Covid lock down, the tea bar closed down.
Eventually we reopened as an essential business, but in order to stay in business while we waited for approval from the state, we started delivering tea and donuts all over 3 counties to folks who were sheltering in place.
We never talked to anyone face to face. We took online orders and dropped at their doors. But there was a community that was building behind the scenes. People were seeking comfort and coziness so tea deliveries were essential.
Fast forward, as people got back to work and back to life, and we reopened the store, delivery fell off completely and we began to serve walk ins and expand our bakery offerings. We took preorders and found ourselves very busy baking for people. Fast forward again, and people just want to stop by and preorders fell off and retail grew.
Then, in 2023, retail started to fall off again, but people would come in and sit down for a while, start to chat and we would be talking and getting to know each other. Community was building. Dreams were growing again.
The bar receeded to the back of the store, and by 2025 had turned into storage. But the dream, of having a tea bar hasn’t ended. A Tea bar is an awesome opportunity to create a gathering space, a place to enhance your quality of life. and a place you can go where everybody knows your name, and your favorite tea!
Things have changed so much and so radically over the past 6 years and gathering spaces that are safe (and dare i say wholesome?😋) and supportive are needed now more than ever. A place to sit with friends, or meet new people with like minds, or at least who like the same tea!
As you come to the shop, we can think ahead about how to pull the tea bar back into the center of the space, creating more cohesion to gathering, and hanging to talk, share and hold space during these trying times. Because when times are tough, tea helps.
