So, this place is complex. It has a great atmosphere, comfy seating, and uniquely focuses on tea - no coffee here folks! Especially since it is located near Burnsville's main high school, Burnsville Senior High, it would be perfect place for high school students (or college students) to study, and perhaps even educate/expose these students to tea and tea culture, which is a worthy pursuit, because tea is interesting. It could also function as a nice alternative to Starbucks or Caribou for students or members of the community to plan events. etc.
But this place can't really do any of these things because it doesn't seem like it was meant to serve the community. Instead, I get the feeling that this place was meant to serve the owners. In essence, I just get the sense that it is "stuck up -" and no matter how renowned an establishment is, that's the last vibe a place would want to give off. Let me explain:
They do not offer wi-fi, and they seem like they are proud of that. Hence, it may be difficult for students to study there or for people to meet there, especially since so much of our work these days requires the internet. Recently, when I asked the woman at the counter if they were planning on adding wi-fi soon, she shook her head, and said "No. If we did, people would end up sitting here for hours."Me thinking in my head "Yeah, sitting here for hours supporting your business by buying things, but whatever." I worry that they've done this perhaps because they don't want students to patronize. I mean, why even have seating at a coffee shop if you don't want people to stay there for long periods of time?
I then asked the lady if they sell coffee. I was partly expecting a negative response because it is a tea company, but I got the most bizarre answer "No. We were thinking about it, but then we realized that if we sold coffee, the whole place would smell like coffee." So, the place must smell like nothing or flowers - but not coffee. Seems like a strange reason not to sell something that a lot of customers may request, but again, whatever.
Inside the shop, they also sell a wide variety of teas as well as materials needed to make mainly loose-leaf tea. This is actually one of the most interesting parts of this shop - I believe they also take a lot of online orders. However, browsing their tea on an earlier visit, I saw that most of their loose-leaf tea is around $10 for a 4 oz packet. That's all well and good, but sorry. I don't know if I'm willing to pay that much for tea I am not even sure I will like and for only 4 oz of it. They do want more customers, right? - And frankly if they just made small adjustments to gain more customers, they would probably be able to defray the costs of some of their tea products.
There was also a sign on the door that roughly said, "No outside food or drink allowed." I get that they want people to patronize their food and beverages, but isn't that self-explanatory? Maybe "outside food" and drinks would affect the smell balance of the shop?
I read other Yelp reviews before coming here and ordering - someone said that opening this shop was the owners' dream. I applaud the owners of this unique little shop and their ability to realize their dream. But I also think it is sad, and a waste, that they have not seen that their establishment could be much more. It could, as one improvement for example, serve as a safe, educational, and quirky place for nearby high school students to study and ultimately give back to their community. And if they reject such a dream for their surrounding community, perhaps they could have just made it a private establishment. Seriously though, why open the doors of a business if you're not really open to responding to the needs of your customers? read more