Business & Tech

Betty's Teas Coming To New Canaan To Highlight World's 2nd Most Popular Drink

New Canaan's newest niche shop in the works, Betty's Teas, is looking to bring the world's second-most-consumed beverage to the town in all it's glorious variations.

"We're going to offer 35 loose leaf teas as a retail bulk tea store," said Deidre "Dee Dee" Lane, owner and 17-year New Canaan resident. "New Canaan has a lot of coffee shops but nowhere here can you go and buy tea by the pound or ounce. I think it's a real niche people are looking for."

Lane (pictured), her daughter Caitlin Shapiro (unable to attend Monday's meeting) and son Colin Shapiro (also indisposed) will be opening the doors to Betty's Teas-named after the family's loyal dog and "soulmate"-as early as July 13, as long as the renovation schedule is maintained. To be located at 162 Main Street, the building is currently scheduled to be completely renovated inside and out prior to opening.

"We're going to make this space really pop," Lane said. "We're going to have all wood floors, chandeliers, fans... It's going to be an adorable, funky tea shop where you can come buy tea for the week. It's a small space that will bring a lot of life to the area."

The shop will offer everything from popular choices like Chai, Green, Oolong and Black to specialty blends created by Lane and her daughter, including organic, seasonal and holiday blends.

Lane gave up coffee 25 years ago and began drinking tea exclusively when she was pregnant with her daughter and "never went back." Caitlin studied abroad and took a journey of tea discovery that led her through Istanbul, Prague, Turkey, Poland and beyond.

"I've researched blends, made them. I've sampled thousands of teas," Lane said. "We don't want to compete with the coffee shops here. We want to be our own store. We're going to be the professionals on loose leaf teas."

The store will also stock accessories for tea enthusiasts beginner to expert, as well as flour pastas and Big Picture Farms caramels. Also planned are seminars featuring Tea Masters to talk about the world and the place of tea within it. Personalized gift baskets will also be created on-the-spot.

"We've been a part of this community for a long time now and we're so excited to be a part of the Chamber [of Commerce] and the retail community," Lane said. "We're super excited because we know how great everything is in New Canaan. We're so excited to open."

BettysTeas.com is set to go live this coming weekend, June 22, 2013.


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