Tea and Things of that Kind Struggles to Open
Morning Tea - LaShun Beal
Despite the premature closing of both Sugarhill Java and Tea Lounge and The Harlem Tea Room, a new tea room is hoping to open on 137th and Seventh Avenue by Mother’s Day. Mother and son team Laila and Na’im Najieb have been planning their tea room, Tea and Things of That Kind, since 2006.
The Najiebs have always been avid about tea and holistic health methods. Therefore, when a bodega and laundry mat closed down and space became available for rent in their community, they decided to rent it and create a tea room and community resource.
“There is definitely a need for a tea room, but not necessarily in the generic sense,” he said, adding that holistic health and healing will be a major role of the business.
He and his mother plan to provide health consultations, massage therapy and non-prescription natural path health remedies for individuals in the local community.
“Customers will get more information and access on how to better (their) health,” he said. “You have to go downtown for health food or organic tea. We want them to be available uptown, in Harlem.”
Although we are in the midst of a recession, Tea and Things of that Kind has high hopes of opening their tea room on time and maintaining a successful business that is deeply rooted in the Harlem community. They need your help to add the finishing touches. To find out how you can help click here.
Excerpt from World Tea News
D. Bell
Dee Bell is a freelance writer and the founder of Uptownflavor, Harlem's premier online lifestyle destination since 2006.
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Re Harlem Tea Room: my friends and I were major supporters of this place when it first opened. We went at least once a month and recommended as many people as we could to it. But then, service started going wayyy downhill. I never thought it failed b/c it was trying to stuff “British sensibilities” (whatever that is) down our throat, but b/c the service got increasingly worse and even dangerous (when a server dropped a knife on my lap–hello!).
I wouldn’t say the service was “snotty” as much as it became really indifferent.
People I knew who were regulars all commented on this. I believe Patrice Clayton was aware of this as it was a hot topic on some Website and she even responded.
As for the previous poster’s comment that “It’s very common for small Harlem based business to set sail with no real map, compass, they think they can open their doors and “the will come,” I have to say I kind of agree, particulary when it comes to restaurants or cafes. I just stopped by a local cafe/restaurant that recently opened and asked for a menu to go so I can check it out and show it to my neighbors. The one person who was working there said they ran out. Okay, if you can’t even keep enough paper menus around for customers, then something’s really not working.
Just tired of seeing Harlem based small business try and get off the ground based on poor models/strategies or none at all. Examples would be like the “Soup Man” on Lenox Ave. that place was open for less than 6 months, then closed. The Juice Bar on Lenox at 129th, same thing. Harlem Tea room had a bad model (trying to plug British sensibilities sticking strictly to the script down the throats of Harlemites, etc.). If this new business is going to stress and focus on “holistic well care alternatives”, etc. in tea, and various therapies, seems tragic that they are not within eyeshot of a magnet of people with ailments, Harlem Hospital.
For example today I walked by a store front at 460 Lenox, 4 or 5 store fronts fron Le Perle Noir going toward 132nd on Lenox Ave with a big sign “SPACE AVAILABLE TO RENT”. I travel a lot. It’s very common for me to see a Tea shop very near if not adjacent to a coffee house, I think there is synergy in that proximity and a win win, plus your marketing stresses having your person with a sandwich board and or samples giving education and information on the corner of 135th and Lenox were Pan Pan formerly stood and with coupons and other devices get people to walk for 60 seconds just past the McDonalds to the Tea House for more Wellness info, services, products, etc.
You can cheelead all you want, it’s really valueless of meaningful substance these aspiring business people can act on…before it’s too late. It’s very common for small Harlem based business to set sail with no real map, compass, they think they can open their doors and “the will come”??? There’s a long list of failed small businesses that can attest otherwise…
Gee, why should they even wake up in the morning? Why don’t you let them give it a shot first, for Chrissake?
Highly doubtful this business at that location is sustainable. There simply is not sufficient walking traffic, a condition that worked against the Harlem Tea Room (in addition to Patrice Clayton the owner being a bit uptight and the place too snooty in general).
They should have tried to find a spot on Lenox as close as possible to Harlem Hospital and then employ a strategy wherein they were capturing that hospital traffic, introducing and presenting alternatives to that market. It’s the same model you see of a Pharmacy opening up within a 1 minute walk and visible to Harlem Hospital. There’s I think 4 pharmacy practices in visible eye shot of the corner of Harlem Hospital. That’s where this type of business should be for all the right reasons. As it now is planned, it will not be visible or known to it’s market. You won’t see a pharmacy on 7th Ave for a reason, poorly located to feed off Harlem Hospital business. Of course they can locate this business where ever they want, it’s just missed opportunity. Location for this kind of business is critical, and 137th and 7th has nothing going for it. It really doesn’t matter if this business has the best tea or alternative remedies in the land, the location assures its demise.
It was in the first paragraph. 137th and 7th Avenue.
Does anyone know the location? i was dissapointed not to find that in fo in thee article.