THE DALLES — Early in 2020, designer Luise Langheinrich got tired of COVID-19 depressing and stressing her customers. Her answer? A new Tea Nook, filled with blends from around the world.
“So many of my customers coming in the door, I could see the little gray clouds over their heads,” Langheinrich said. The isolation and COVID-19-induced sadness she observed inspired Langheinrich's idea for a safe place to gather, be social, and drink tea. “I thought ... we could even put the tables and chairs outside, they could bring their books, or their knitting, or crossword puzzles, just so they’ve got another venue that’s safe,” said Langheinrich, who creates her own lines of women’s clothing in the back of Lines of Design.
The current Tea Nook expanded from a previous incarnation, debuted just after the COVID-19 quarantine lifted. “This year I had the opportunity to make it more robust,” Langheinrich said. All things tea now occupy a furnished corner in the back of the shop.
Customers can purchase a cup of tea, coffee or tea accessories. They can take home the loose-leaf teas to steep themselves. On Tea Tuesday, each customer gets a free 8-ounce sample of their chosen tea. First Fridays also feature special teas.
“I’m a big tea drinker, I grew up on it,” Langheinrich said, explaining a lifelong fascination with tea of every sort. “When I was a kid at home, we drank herbal teas all the time. Sassafras tea, mint tea, rose tea ...” Later, Langheinrich attended summer camp with an English exchange student counselor. Afternoon tea was black tea with milk. “So that turned me on to a whole other group of teas, it was like, whoa!” she smiled.
White shelves are lined with travel guides, artifacts — and, of course, special kinds of tea — from around the world.
Flora Gibson photo
The nook is travel-themed, “because the tea itself comes from a lot of places,” she said. White shelves are lined with travel guides, artifacts — and, of course, special kinds of tea — from around the world. There’s the “humble” green teas, black teas, oolong, caffeine-free teas, herbal teas, iced tea, hot tea. Langheinrich likes a certain spearmint and peppermint herbal, with one mint grown in Oregon and another from California. She plans to add Chai in the fall.
Her favorite? Right now, Langheinrich is pursuing the special formosa pouchong oolong, grown only Taiwan, and picked only once. “I love it. I found another company that has it,” she said. “It’s between green and black. And you can steep it like three times, and it’s still good. I was so tickled that I finally found it!”
Langheinrich interested in the specific herbs and history of each tea. The complexities of tea flavor can be incredibly esoteric. There’s estate teas, first and second and third pickings, all with subtle differences; the complexities of tea flavor can be reminiscent of the wine-tasting scene, she said.
So, why a tea nook in a clothing store? It’s all about customer service. “Helping your customer find that outfit they need, or making them look good and feel good ... so they can do whatever they need to do. You think about that idea of customer service, and how you’re taking care of people, it translates really well into doing teas,” Langheinrich said, and the shop is a place for people to find “a little bit of relaxation and reset the day.”
Customers can purchase a cup of tea, coffee or tea accessories. They can take home the loose-leaf teas to steep themselves.
Flora Gibson photo
Cookies aren’t available quite yet, so for a perfect English-style afternoon tea, the customer needs their own “biscuits.” But Langheinrich is working on that. In the meantime, it’s a quiet place to enjoy a nice cup of Earl Grey, spearmint peppermint, or special oolong.
Lines of Designs is located at 107 E. Second St. More information can be found online at www.linesofdesigns.com.
Langheinrich can be reached at luise@linesofdesigns.com. The Tea Nook is open during the shop’s business hours, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
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