⏳ Timeline
2006: I'm a child. My mom makes me a cup of apple ginger tea to help with a cold. It smells great but tastes like nothing; I proclaim that "I don't like tea."
2017: I'm an intern. My coworker teaches me how to make a cup of tea, pausing multiple times to confirm I'm serious about not knowing how. We laugh a lot and I surprisingly enjoy the peppermint tea.
Summer 2019: I travel alone throughout SWANA (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon) for six weeks. I'm drawn to the ubiquitous teahouses and wonder if such community spaces – affordable, non-alcoholic, late-night – exist in the US.
Fall 2019: I live in Singapore for 4 months. I drink tons of milk tea and purchase my first loose leaf tea – Pu'erh and Bi Luo Chun.
2020-2021: Living in Boston during COVID, I develop an at-home tea routine (Grandpa style), grow my hair out for the first time, complete The Artist's Way, and become increasingly lonely. Lots of change, lots of ideas.
December 4th 2021: I visit NYC. Freezing cold in Sunset Park, I hope there will be someone in the park serving tea. There isn't. The concept of The Tea Stand is born.
December 4th 2022: After quitting my job and moving to Brooklyn, I set up The Tea Stand for the first time in my local park. It's a very special day and I immediately want to do it again. I now refer to these events – serving tea in public parks – as Popups.
January 2023: I'm invited to serve free tea at a food distribution hosted by Collective Focus, a local mutual aid / resource hub. We now refer to these events – serving tea at food distributions – as Distros.
May 14th 2023: I invite some friends to my apartment for a facilitated conversation about our childhoods while I serve tea. We now refer to these events – small-group conversations over tea – as Tea Talks.
May 21st 2023: In collaboration with artist LEEWAY, I host the first volume of an intimate DJ + tea event in his Greenpoint loft. We name the event series Steeped in Sound.
November 2023: We serve the 1,000th free cup of tea and launch the newsletter.
April 2024: The Tea Stand is officially registered as a nonprofit organization.
July 2024: We launch the 🧧Membership program!