Welcome to a special edition of Mike Harney Spills the Tea. I couldn’t have done this article about the origins of our New York City SoHo store on Broome Street without including my son Emeric since it was his brainchild. So without further ado…here’s the story of how our SoHo store came to be! I’ll get us started:
We opened the store in 2010. I decided to open a store so we could show the world what great teas we had and give them a memorable tea-education experience. We took what we had learned at our Millerton store in upstate New York and updated it in an urban setting.
I remember just before we opened, I was arranging something in the store and there was a knock. It was a Polish woman on her way to the airport. Her friend in Warsaw told her to stop and get some tea in this new (and not yet open) tea shop. I knew that we were onto something.
So, Emeric, what about the location? Why SoHo?
Emeric: When it came to choosing the location, it started with our close family friend and fellow business owner Mariebel Lieberman (of MarieBelle New York Chocolates) who has a retail store in SoHo. When we began searching for a space, of course we wanted to be located near one of her stores as she’s found success in her retail business. We considered looking uptown on Madison by her other store, but the charm of SoHo won us over, with a variety of small business owners mixed in amongst some of the largest retailers in the world. We thought the diversity of foot traffic would be most ideal for our brand that, at the time, was available nationwide and beginning to coordinate more and more with international distributors.
Mike: The area was not overly traveled in SoHo. However, that has changed. There are quite a lot of people who walk down Broome, so that has been an unexpected improvement.
Mike: What were the biggest challenges in opening a store in the city, Emeric?
Emeric: I think one of the biggest challenges was trying to maintain the identity of our small, hometown roots and making it feel like it made sense inside the big hustle and bustle of Manhattan. There were, of course, standard new business challenges, such as finding and maintaining the appropriate staff, choosing what services we wanted to offer (the Millerton store always offered free tastings, retail, and food), what our menu in the café looked like (we didn’t have nearly the space for a kitchen that Millerton has), finding tradespeople etc.
Mike: I would also say that making the store successful was an early challenge to consider, especially in such a crowded retail landscape. Em, what do you think we did to help the store stand out?
Emeric: I think our tasting bar has been one of the most unique parts of our business model compared to many other tea shops. Not only being able to chat with staff about a tea, but also being able to smell and taste it prior to buying, has made product discovery so much more approachable and enjoyable.
Mike: To be honest, early on we were not sure that our shop would be a success. After all, we were country folk coming to the big city! And we are glad that it continues to be a success. In fact, this has been our best year ever.
Mike: What would you say have been the biggest rewards, Em?
Emeric: Being able to service our global community of customers, as well as developing a local, dedicated group of customers has been extremely rewarding. Customers who have been coming for 14 years to pick up their everyday drink and try something new. The staff as well, many of whom we still keep in touch with. Watching them blossom in their professional careers, be it in the fine arts or elsewhere in business, has also been extremely rewarding.
Mike: I always enjoy working with our staff down in SoHo. I get to hear directly from customers what they like (and dislike). Often I meet customers who have a wonderful story about tea and Harney & Sons. That makes the drive home to Millerton worthwhile.
Emeric: Another thing I have enjoyed is watching the store change and grow. Our café and store layout has been the area of most evolution over the years. We originally tried a unique twist on the traditional afternoon tea, but without a kitchen of our own, maintaining quality with vendors in the city became problematic. Eventually, and now today, we offer cream tea in our petite dining room with scones made in-house fresh each day. Also, we’ve leaned into our expertise in teas and introduced flights of tea that allow customers to sit down in the comfort of our café and select from a list of predetermined tea collections in order to continue to explore and enjoy our teas.
Mike: Agree! I think another great thing you started is the collaboration with Polar Buranasatit for the amazing store windows. They’re definitely attention getters.
Emeric: We’ve been working with Polar now for 12 years. Crazy how time flies! Polar reached out to us after a mutual friend of my mother, Brigitte…
Mike: Aka my wife…
Emeric: Yes, of course. Anyway, Mom’s friend had recommended he reach out to us. In fact, we accumulate some of his past windows up in Millerton. They are always so wonderful and some of them we can’t imagine parting with.
Mike: So, tell these good folks what they can expect when they come to the SoHo store. And if you’re in New York City, you should come. Maybe I’ll see you there!
Emeric: There are three primary things our customers can enjoy at the store:
- Tastings: An offering of “Teas of the Moment” that rotate two different teas hourly on weekdays. On weekends, a trio of offerings with a theme are set for the weekend. In addition to these free samples, customers can inquire about another complimentary tea tasting, and can purchase additional samples.
- Food: We bake our own scones in-house, and occasionally offer baked goods from other NYC vendors. And we have a small café where customers can sit and enjoy a welcome respite from their busy day.
- Wares: A collection of teaware (teapots, mugs, tea cups, matcha bowls, matcha whisks, etc.), candles, totes, greeting cards and more to round out a shopping experience for all things tea. And the majority of our tea offerings, of course!
Mike: What’s next for the SoHo store, Em? Anything I should know about?
Emeric: No worries, Dad! We don’t have plans to expand or open another store. We have seen that tea chains are difficult to sustain, so for the foreseeable future, we just plan on doing what we’ve been doing: serving the best teas from around the world and helping our customers explore and enjoy them.
Mike + Emeric: Thanks to all who have made our tea shop a success!
