The pop up shop has spread from fashion to food to fitness, and San Francisco’s all in one art gallery, fashion boutique, and event space, La Boutique, is now brewing pop up tea.
Amidst hard to find European labels like Vanessa Bruno, Cacharel, Zadig & Voltaire and Jerome Dreyfuss, the boutique slash l’Art et la Mode invites shoppers to take some time for tea on Fridays and Saturdays, in the comfort of San Francisco’s historic Jackson Square.
In collaboration with La Boutique owner Carole Harari, SF-based designer Jude Gabbard y Muñoz designed the tea salon replete with vintage furnishings found within California.
What prompted the idea? Part request, part necessity. Carole says, “I always hear from our customers how much they love our lofty space and how they wish they could 'hang out' here or even 'live here.' I thought we should make it even more homey and cozy by adding tables and chairs and offering them a cup of tea. I also felt that Jackson is such a lovely street but that this kind of 'café' is missing. There are tons of places to get to-go coffees…but not a really nice space to spend time relaxing, browse magazines etc…a tea salon perfectly fills that gap.”
Imagine: Flip through the latest issue of French Elle or a vintage art book while sitting in a bentwood chair by Radomsko ZMG, one of Europe's oldest bentwood chair manufacturers. French Kusmi tea is served alongside Trufflove treats and Batter Bakery shortbreads, whether lavender, hazelnut, orange and pistachio.
La Boutique will also sell Kusmi tea and Carole recommends her tea regimen. “I have always been a tea drinker but I need variety too; black tea in the morning (Kusmi has a selection of fantastic Russian black teas), green teas during the day and then herbal teas in the evening. And, of course, Kusmi's most famous tea is the 'Detox' which tastes really nice and is a blend of maté, green tea and lemongrass.”
Sam Durbin (sami.7x7@gmail.com) is a California lifestyle writer who honed her blogging skills as Editor of FabSugar.com. Sam graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and also writes for 7x7 Magazine and Gilt City.
