Stay Warm this Winter with Tea Cozy

Nestled inside the Arthouse building in the R Street Historic District is one of Sacramento’s most unique shops: Tea Cozy. The retail tea store specializes in loose leaf teas, tea brewing accessories, teapots, cups, and gifts. Owner Nami Thompson has welcomed customers through Tea Cozy’s doors for more than 23 years.  

“My husband and I opened in 1998 after having moved back home from Washington state,” Nami said. “Our family always enjoyed going to Fox and Goose, and one day, we noticed the freight elevator space in the back of the next-door building sat empty, so we pursued the owner to let us rent the cozy little space for our tea shop.”

Nami aptly named the space Tea Cozy, not only for the warm and welcoming environment, but also as a nod to teapot coverings, also called tea cozies. With more than 135 teas available, and many of them requested by customers, Tea Cozy is a staple for Sacramento natives and tourists alike.

Although the small business has shared its delicious tea with Sacramento for more than two decades, the pandemic brought on new difficulties. As events were canceled and the new reality set in, Tea Cozy faced harrowing business obstacles.

“We’ve been through some challenging times, but the last year and a half has been the most challenging,” Nami said. “We closed down completely for a couple of weeks. We quickly transitioned to online sales and were able to offer mail order and curbside pick-up. Our storefront stayed closed for another three months, and then we slowly opened with reduced hours.”

Nami and the Tea Cozy team practiced flexibility and creativity. They set up the store to keep customers and staff healthy and safe, invested time into their website, and dealt with inventory and supply challenges regularly. Throughout all this, Nami described the community support as wonderful.

“The City of Sacramento and our local R Street Partnership has given us masks, reimbursements, and marketing support,” Nami said. “Our customers have been lovely in continuing their support.”

At the Arthouse building, the businesses pulled together and collaborated on new ideas for their customers. Nami explained that they also worked with local small businesses to continue building out new options. Amid the chaos, the small businessowner recognized her staff.

“They are resilient, smart, and creative,” Nami said. “I may be biased, but I feel that drinking tea brings out the best in people.”

Tea Cozy is featured in our 2021 AAPI-Owned Holiday Gift Guide, which you can view here.

Show your support for Tea Cozy:

1021 R Street
Sacramento, CA 95811

Website: teacozy.biz
Instagram: @teacozy_arthouse
Facebook: @teacozysacto

Read more stories about AAPI-owned small businesses in Sacramento:
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