Shop Closure Announcement

My business will be online only after March 3oth. There will be a lot of details and logistics leading up to this date and I will be providing most of them below and any additional updates and details over the next two months in our monthly newsletter. If you do not currently receive our newsletter, please feel free to subscribe at the bottom of the homepage on our online shop at www.pleasuresoftea.com. Even though I will be vacating the current location in a few months, I will continue to provide the same quality teas you have come to expect and the service and knowledge, as well, and I hope that you will continue your tea journey with me even though it will no longer be in person.

First, words cannot express my gratitude for your friendship and support of my small business all these years. I must say what an absolute honor and privilege it has been to serve you and travel with you on this journey through tea. Many of you have been with me since before the shop, when I was the traveling “gypsy” tea lady at mall shows, various fairs and festivals around the island, lecturing in your local library, or conducting private tastings for you in your homes or at your organizations. Many more have been to my shop, Infuse Tea Bar, for the past almost eleven years, and many of you have recently become acquainted with my business. This is bittersweet for me and I have tears in my eyes as I write this newsletter and share this news. Tea and my business is my life – it penetrates to my core and I live and breathe it every day. And I am so happy that so many of you have come along on this wild and wonderful journey through tea with me! 🙂 I still cannot believe how many people have walked through the doors of Infuse – tea connoisseurs and many people who were new to tea, people from all walks of life. And we all had one thing in common – tea.

Many of you think that opening a shop was a long-time dream of mine, but it wasn’t. You see, Infuse came about because I can be an incredibly stubborn woman who doesn’t like to be told what to do or that I can’t do something 😉 The idea of opening a shop happened because I was banned from being an exhibitor at the malls here on Long Island and I was specifically named by Teavana as someone who was no longer allowed to participate in the mall shows. After sharing my ideas of opening a tea shop with several people, some tried talking me out of it because of the cost and risk. While I understood their perspective, I decided to pursue it anyway, especially because I so strongly go with my gut instincts. But truth be told, I didn’t know how long Infuse would be open. With a history of a debilitating health condition since I was 18 that left me always feeling unwell and would periodically relapse, causing me to leave jobs that I loved, opening a brick and mortar store was very risky for me due to my own physical limitations. But I decided to move forward, mainly so I would never have to wonder what would have been.

It seems like just yesterday when I was designing the shop, ordering supplies and equipment, and building it with my husband – sometimes until 2:00AM. We built everything – the cabinets (with help from a few of you), the bar and the shelving – and I was so proud to see our hard work and time come to fruition. When I was designing the shop, I knew I wanted it to be an inviting place – like I was welcoming each and every one of you into my home. I wanted to create a space that provided an experience like no other – a place that I would want to go to where there were excellent quality teas and an extensive selection so that I could “travel” anywhere in the world, along with staff that could answer my questions. I knew I wanted it to be heavily focused on tea, Camellia sinensis, and the cultural aspects that have risen around this plant for almost 5,000 years, along with a vast selection of caffeine-free tisanes. I wanted Infuse to be a place where people could come and explore and discover the richness and diversity within tea and tisanes and learn about them, how to appreciate them, and how to incorporate them into a healthy lifestyle. Education has always been a cornerstone of my business and the bar was to be the heart of the tasting workshops where we could explore the various organoleptic experiences with tea and different methods for preparing them. One of my goals has been that everyone learns something new every time they visit my shop – not unreasonable since I have been learning about teas and tisanes for just about 30 years and I’m still learning!

But, as it turns out, Infuse Tea Bar became much more than a tea shop. I am so deeply humbled to have been a part of so many of your lives and you have enabled me to have purpose. Your tremendous support and willingness to go on this journey with me has enabled me to keep the doors open without having to compromise my vision of tea and my mission. You have visited me and happily brought other family members or friends on return visits. And those of you who have moved away or live in other states have included my shop on your itinerary when you come back to LI, or you continue to purchase my teas in the online shop and then share them with your new neighbors and friends. You have included my teas at your milestone or special events. You have celebrated milestones and important events at my shop and we have also grieved. It has become a space for community and where friendships have been made. Many of you have seen Infuse as a sanctuary to escape the stresses of life where you could take the time to just breathe as you immersed yourselves in the aromas of the “sniffing jars”, even if only for a short period of time. Some of you have been inspired to tap into your creative spirit while in my shop and some of that creativity hangs on its walls. We have indeed shared much laughter and many tears. We never shied away from conversations – even the topics that shouldn’t be discussed in “polite company”. Many of you have shared with me over the years what Infuse and my business overall has meant to you and, knowing how my place has impacted you, has driven me to continue to keep the shop open even when it became personally very difficult for me to do so several times over the years. Infuse has truly been a magical place and one that will forever hold a special place in my heart and it is the conversation with each one of you that I will truly miss.

But as one door closes, many more open. Mountains have been calling me for quite a while and several years ago, my husband and I purchased a tranquil plot of land with serene sunrise and sunset views. We will be moving there next year and I will be able to continue my own healing journey in the peaceful, clean mountain air.

While I absolutely love the shop and will miss being there, I am looking forward to bringing my 90-hour work week down to a more reasonable 60 hours. I am passionate about and have interests in many things – the unfortunate reason why I work so many hours – and I never see myself retiring. I have lots of ideas that I just have not found the time to contemplate further and bring to fruition, and there are too many to even mention here. The extra time will enable me to work on crafting new formulations that I have had bouncing around in my brain for quite some time. There have been many changes in the tea industry over the past several years that haven’t necessarily been for the better and I am hoping at some point in the future that I will be able to travel to some of the overseas tea gardens to establish more direct relationships with growers. I am also looking to expand the herbalism side of the business to include tinctures, elixirs, and salves, along with more functional blends, and I am hoping at some point to experiment growing tea and to grow herbs on the new property to use in my custom products (step #1 keep one plant alive – I have a notorious “black thumb”). I also will be continuing my studies in Clinical Herbalism and am planning on sitting for the board exam in Health and Wellness Coaching next autumn. The additional time will also enable me to see more clients through my other business, Vitality Holistic Wellness, and implement new programs based on my advanced certifications that I have attained over the past few years (high-level details below). And as I coach my clients about balance, I am also looking forward to bringing more balance into my own life and knocking some things off my extensive personal bucket list – something I haven’t been able to do in the past ten years.

As some of you may know, my husband and I somehow came to house a cat rescue/sanctuary where we rehabilitate and hospice kitties with special needs that have made their way to us. Over the past 24 years, we have provided a home to 28 kitties (no, they are not all still alive for those of you who keep trying to figure out how many we have ;)). This has become almost another full-time job, as the number of rescues has grown significantly in the past few years. It’s also the reason for my morning tardiness (my apologies to those of you who have had to wait) and the need to close promptly at the end of the day. The extra time will enable me more time to continue my work with the more traumatized ones and work on trapping, testing, and spaying/neutering the six additional ones who are currently outside. Over the years, I have successfully implemented the use of herbs with them and this is another area in which I would like to delve a little deeper. Your tips over the years became what is known as the “kitty fund” and have been very much appreciated to help cover the food, medications, IV supplies, litter, vet bills, diagnostics, surgeries, and all the other expenses that have been necessary to provide them with proper care and a safe, loving home. Any profit from the tea business has always gone to their care and this will continue in the online format.

I know the next several months will go by fast and there are some key things in preparation to move to the online format:
1. I have been stocking up on and blending teas and tisanes in case you plan to buy larger quantities as March 30th approaches. The teas will store well for quite some time. I am anticipating a 3-week interruption in service, so it will be best to stock up beforehand.
2. It will be very difficult to continue to manage the volume of teas and tisanes that I currently offer. Some will no longer be carried because they are no longer being produced or I don’t have a way to purchase any longer. I have a really good sense on the teas that you may want to continue to purchase; however, I would love to hear your must-haves. Please feel free to reply to this email with your favorites.
3. For all outstanding gift certificates – feel free to redeem them in the shop before March 30th. Or you may also redeem them in the online shop at https://www.pleasuresoftea.com by inputting the following information in the Comments section in the cart: compliments of, especially for, gift certificate number, amount, and date. You will still need to input your credit card, but only the balance will be charged, if there is one. Gift certificates never expire – I put an expiration date on them because I want them to be used and not forgotten in a pile of paper 😉
4. If you have had your eye on any particular teaware in the shop, now would probably be the best time to purchase it. Much of what remains are one-of-a-kind pieces and I am not planning on continuing to offer teaware once it is all sold.
5. I always put love in every cup of tea that I prepare for you, but extra love will be put in everyone’s cup moving forward 🙂
6. I will also be selling some of the pieces in the shop that I will no longer need. I will be making more definite decisions as March approaches, but I already know that the commercial stainless steel sink will not be needed. Please let me know if anyone is potentially interested in purchasing it.

Thank you again for a magical time. For those of you whom I did not have the pleasure of meeting, I am sorry we missed each other.

Wishing you all the best in tea and all things in this journey of life….

Kristine