One of my favourite places to go to when I visit the Byward Market is Tea Store.
The few times I’ve been there, the staff have been lovely. They don’t seem to understand tastes though. I asked for something fruity and got recommended something quite bitter and earthy. Their prices are decent, and are much in line with tea stores in the region. I prefer the cozy atmosphere to anywhere else I’ve bought loose leaf tea. Tea quality is very high. I will return when I’m back in the area.
Staff are always cheerful and bubbly. I enjoy asking for random suggestions and chatting. I normally buy 30 gram samples of tea and don’t worry too much if they’re a little over or under.
I wish there were more places to sit, or a more cozy display for their teaware. I find the counter-facing-the-display a little uncomfortable. Sometimes I like a little more of my own space to pick things up. They could probably divide the store up with less floor space and more places to sit and more display area. I’ve found that they’ve gotten better with this in recent times.
I can’t be too picky. This is my go-to when I’m in the area.
I went to Teaopia because they were having a sale where everything was 30% off. I got excited because I needed a new teapot, so I drove the 45 minutes to my nearest Teaopia and picked out a beautiful one.
Drove home and discovered that the basket was missing. The ones we had would not fit inside.
Disappointed, I took it back the next day to exchange it. The clerk looked for a basket and found one for me. The lid wouldn’t sit on the teapot with the basket inside. I got upset and looked for a different style of teapot.
I found a beautiful teapot for the same price as the one I’d bought the day before. The clerk refused to honour the sale price even though it was an exchange. She wanted to charge me the full price.
After a few tense words with the manager explaining the situation, we walked away with the teapot for the sale price. I have not returned since. I may someday go back for more tea, but I wouldn’t consider buying teaware from them anymore.
