Holiday Season Hours

I started my job today.  It was weird to sit at a desk. Tomorrow I'll start to make my space my own and bring in a little tea stash; I've been feeling very Oolong lately so I think it will bring Juicy Melon and Jade Oolong.

For the holiday season, the Lark Street shop will be open Wednesday - Friday from 5:30pm to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.  This will be effective December 2-24.  We'll also have a table at the Delmar Farmer's Market for the next three Saturdays.

Teas for Thanksgiving

Allow me to suggest some teas to complement the Thanksgiving table.  With the Thanksgiving meal itself, I recommend a medium bodied black tea such as a second flush Darjeeling or an amber oolong. If you want to go for a flavored tea, Mulled Cider Black Tea is a clear choice. Chai would work as well.  After the meal, I recommend Tranqulity Tisane.  It's a mild and aromatic spice blend with a nice amount of soothing ginger and licorice. In keeping with the theme of the day, your tummy will be thankful.

Have a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving!

A Change's Gonna Come

So, I'll just lay it out for you: I was offered a full-time job and I accepted it.  The offer came at the very end of last week, and I start right after Thanksgiving.  Anyone who has been in my store probably knows that it's "my" store.  The Good Leaf is completely owner operated and I don't have a replacement "me" just yet. 

This sounds like bad news for the Good Leaf, but it won't be. For a little while, however, I'm hoping you'll bear with me through this transition.  I am committed to The Good Leaf, and will stay open as much as possible through the holiday season, because I put together some really awesome gift packages.

So here's my idea; I will be open as usual from now until Thanksgiving. Then, beginning on Wednesday, December 2nd and through Christmas I'll be open Wednesday - Friday from 5-8pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12-6.  We will also have a presence at the Buy Local Bash this Saturday from 5-9 pm in the Troy Atrium and at the Delmar indoor Farmer's Market on Saturdays in December (located at the Delmar Presbyterian Church at Delaware and Cherry).  And the webstore always remains active for online shopping.

This will allow me to be available for holiday gift shopping, and will also give me some time to figure out the best next step.

I hope you'll understand that in such uncertain economic times, it would be unwise to pass up an opportunity.  While The Good Leaf is stable, I don't know what the future holds for small businesses like mine.  Over the past year, I've seen many great small businesses fall victim to this economy.  Many were great local businesses, and others were small tea companies like mine throughout the country.  Three of my favorite teahouses in New York City closed within the same month.  So although my return to full-time employment will require some re-working of my company, at least of my full-time presence at the Lark Street shop, it's the best insurance policy I can provide.

I sincerely apologize for this short notice, and especially apologize to all my regulars who spend time at The Good Leaf studying, socializing, or just relaxing.  I hope you'll find time to stop by before Thanksgiving and during my limited holiday season hours. 

Finally, I want to let my customers know that the past year and a half has been the most rewarding and enjoyable of my life and it's because of you. You have shared your time and your selves with me, and I have relished your company.  I commit to doing everything I can to continue to offer you a tranquil oasis that delivers health and well-being in delicious, sip-able portions.

I will certainly keep you updated.

Michelle

New Teas

It was so nice to be back in the shop today after being closed for two weeks. Because I spend so much time there I guess I have habituated to the aromas, but today I basked in the full sensory experience. Floral, spicy, fruity, warm, inviting and sweet....pure pleasure. 

In my previous post I mentioned all the blending I've been doing. Well, I've got product! Today I introduced two new teas, Coconut Cream Pie Green Tea and Limited Edition Mulled Cider and will have Goji Crape Green, Sunshine Black, and Cherry Blossom Green available tomorrow. And Butterscotch Pudding Black Tea, Good Night and Focus Tisanes will be available by the end of the week (probably).

Re-Opening, New Stuff, Clearance Sale, More

The Good Leaf will re-open this Tuesday, November 17th.  I've missed the shop and all my great customers.

But my time has been put to good use.  I've been busy putting together some fantastic Tea Packages called Tea Solutions. They combine teas with simple, yet highly effective strategies from positive psychology and mind body medicine.  I think they're great ways to enhance the functional qualities of gourmet tea and they offer great value.   I also have a great Starter Kit for tea novices called TEA101.  I'm sure these packages will make really nice holiday gifts.  I'm putting together a couple more that will be ready in the next few days. Along with these packages, I've introduced a few new teas incluing Butterscotch Pudding Flavored Black Tea, Sunshine Flavored Black Tea, Good Night Herbal Tisane, and a few new flavored green teas will be available as well - Goji Grape is my favorite; it reminds me of Welch's Grape Soda.  They're not all up on the website yet, but they will be. 

I also have a couple of seasonal teas that should be ready later on this week. 

So I'm clearing out a few teas to make room for the new stuff.  Yummy Biscotti, Fireside Spice, Cocoa Loco Verde, and Harmony are all on clearance.  The price for any of these teas is now $5 for a tin, $10 for 8oz and $15 for 16oz.  These prices will continue while supplies last.  All of these are really nice teas; I just am out of space.

There are some more changes ahead for The Good Leaf; I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for your support!

Little Hiatus

The Good Leaf will be closed for a couple of weeks beginning on 11/4.  We'll be preparing for a busy holiday season.  The webstore will remain open and I will keep the blog active and updated.