⛩️ Tea Stand Takeover
Thank you so much for your interest in hosting a Popup!
Principles
Please also review our Manifesto!
- Stillness
- Keep distractions to a minimum (put phone away once settled, no books, no music, etc.)
- Be curious about your environment — what type of people are in the park? How are they carrying themselves? Do they look happy? Don't zone out, zone in!
- Let visitors engage on their own terms, don’t try to rope them in!
- Hospitality
- Take care to provide a comfortable, pleasant environment (clean nearby trash, etc.)
- Offer tea with care and compassion
- Be trustworthy — if you said you’d be outside until 4pm, stay true to your word, even if you’re cold and the park is empty!
- Openness
- Practice non-judgement — accept people as they are, engage with sincerity
- If someone is acting strangely, let your own weirdness show. If a visitor wants to try all the teas mixed together, oblige with a smile.
- Trust others, just as others trust you. Let empathy override fear.
Safety
- As a white man, I have not been the victim of any harassment or violence while serving tea at The Tea Stand. However, I cannot guarantee this will be the case for you! Please place your safety above all else and let me know if there’s anything I can do to support you in this.
- I've also never been bothered by police or park staff, but I have been advised to hide any donation jar if they make a visit.
- Similarly, I have never had to resolve or de-escalate any conflicts between visitors of The Tea Stand, but this is always a possibility. Do not feel the need to mediate any conflicts between visitors, though do keep these de-escalation techniques in mind should you need them.
- We cannot control who visits parks or how people behave in parks, however we can be a positive influence and a responsible neighbor by being a compassionate observer and a peaceful presence.
❓ FAQ
Below are questions I'm often asked while serving tea in the park.
Feel free to answer questions from your personal perspective instead of The Tea Stand's perspective.
How long have you been doing this?
December 2022 was the first Popup!
What inspired this?
Miles’ travels to North Africa and Middle East, where tea houses are ubiquitous gathering places and offer accessible spaces for community conversation. In the US, we lack social infrastructure; The Tea Stand exists to fill this void.
Where does the tea come from?
All the tea is donated by local individuals! We simply redistribute peoples’ tea back to the community.
How can I learn more?
Scan the QR code to visit the website, Instagram, calendar, etc. There’s also a newsletter and Membership Program!
So you just serve free tea in parks?
We also serve free tea at food distributions (Distros), host small-group conversations over tea (Tea Talks), and host an event series with free tea and DJs (Steeped in Sound).
Miles does this full-time? How does he pay rent?
The Membership Program! People can make monthly donations and receive perks in exchange, like free tea boxes shipped to their home, issues of our zine, etc.
Technical
🩳 Attire
- For temperatures below 70°F, bring a warm layer, sitting still gets chilly!
- For temperatures below 50°F, I dress as if it’s 30°F — thermals, long underwear, hat, gloves, warm socks, etc. Do not underestimate the cold!
- I have not attempted to set up The Tea Stand in temperatures below 25°F
- Sunglasses are always helpful to have on hand
♨️ Hot Water Flow
- Pour water from big jug into JetBoil
- Use JetBoil to heat water to 175F (use thermometer)
- Pour from JetBoil into thermos
- Repeat as necessary (try to keep the thermos near-full)
🧸 Packing List
- Hand sanitizer
- Snacks
- Spill rag
- Sunscreen
Keep Steeping,
Miles