The Month Ahead - May 2020

I've been giving a lot of thought to what the next month looks like for the tea shop in lieu of the announcement from the State of Arkansas on re-opening restaurants and retail shops. 
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The quarantine has taken quite a toll on my little business. I never thought I would face such an extreme hiccup in year three. 
All that said, I am overwhelmingly grateful for the outpouring of support from friends, regulars, and complete strangers.

​The past 7 weeks has been a LOT of shifting gears and a LOT of hard work but we are doing okay. My tea shop will be okay. 

There is still so much uncertainty about how this virus spreads, how many people have it, can people get it again, and on and on. As many of you know, I run the shop with my mom and my sister, Jessica. Both of them are diabetic, my mom is over the age of 60 and I am currently the main contact for my Grami - doing her errands, taking her groceries, and visiting with her weekly. My considerations are not just for me, but my family, and ultimately for my customers. Opening the shop too soon could put those I love in jeopardy. 

​I have decided to continue with curbside pick-up, online order/shipping, and the Tea Stand through May.

My goal is to reassess on June 1st whether it is safe to open the doors to the shop. I may try out patio only dining toward the end of the month, but again, it depends. My hope would be that I could do a nice grand re-opening on June 10th - National Iced Tea Day!

I am not ready to bring my mom back to work when things are so risky. I am not in a situation to hire additional staff to help me offer a full service experience at this time, and, frankly, it's just too soon to tell if we have really passed through this scary phase of the pandemic. 

I am hoping you, my loyal customers & friends, will understand. I am hoping you will continue to support me through online orders and you will continue to stop by the tea stand on Wednesdays and the weekends. I truly cannot wait for the day when you can sit in my lovely tea shop and share in my dreams again. Until then, I will see you curbside, in the sunshine! ​​