Posted by: Noel Jones
By now you may have heard that Easton's popular tea house, TranquiliTea, at 106 N. 4th Street and Spring Garden has had to close its doors. The lease came due and after doing the math, the Mitchell family decided that they could not afford to renew the lease for another year. They have not yet decided whether or not they will try to reopen in a new location, but for the time being, they are selling off items in the tea house, ranging from 25 cents to $1000--something for everyone!
Ervie and family would like to invite everyone to stop by tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 11th any time between 10am and 8pm while they are having their liquidation sale.
I know that I am not alone in saying that TranquiliTea will be missed--and I for one will be very happy if they decide to reopen one day in a new location!
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4 comments:
Really quite bummed to see Tranquilitea House go. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they decide to reopen elsewhere, the community could really use more cafe's/teahouses.
I liked it there. Good design, good food and drink, good vibe, good music and art. Every new business has it's strengths and weaknesses and it helps to have about 18-24 months of reserve funds set aside to ride out the storms of economic uncertainty during that shake-down period when you are figuring out what you do well and what needs to be improved. Getting through the first few years is the key to long-term success.
I think people will be patient with a new business' service if they feel welcomed and sense the owners are trying. I got that impression from my experience there. I wonder how many businesses fail because they don't prepare for that shake-down period or have the financial reserves beyond just start-up costs and day-today operations.
Investing in a business should be treated the same way as personal investing - with a reserve fund for six months of expenses if something goes wrong. Easier said than done in today's economy.
I hope they give it another shot at some point in a more affordable and visible location. I'd help them find a place if they'd like.
DRL
TranquiliTea was a really terrific (and much needed ) "third space" for the Easton community and very welcoming when it came to letting us host community meetings and events. I do hope they take a financial breather and start checking out less expensive spaces to reopen one day--they would certainly have the community's support.
I also really loved it that they put on a local production of The Vagina Monologues as part of Eve Ensler's global effort to reduce violence against women. The house was packed most nights for the show and the cast got great feedback from the audience. We need more third spaces in Easton that are willing to commit to this kind of community involvement.
Most of all it was just a really warm, welcoming vibe and terrific teas!
I just got back from TranquiliTea with a whole bunch of great teas for cheap.
I talked to Ervie and Jasmine about their reasons for closing, and it was pretty much that business was not steady enough to sustain the lease for another year, and also that Jasmine is leaving for grad school in Puerto Rico.
Ervie said that their busiest times were in the winter, and generally on weekends, but that business was generally very slow in the summer...they said they may consider reopening some day, but probably not for a good while...
They are selling teas, dishes, and tea sets as well as all kinds of other stuff, so stop by before 8pm tonight if you can to support the Mitchells and get some great stuff!
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