It Started With Ruth.
A tea house built from family, memory, and the belief that some of the best moments happen when we slow down and gather together.
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Before there was Ruth's Tea House, there was Ruth.
My grandmother was an artist, an art teacher, a caregiver, a traveler, and a woman with a deep curiosity about the world around her. She was creative, nurturing, and always learning. She had a particular fascination with Africa and loved experiencing different places and cultures through travel.
But some of the things that made Ruth special weren't necessarily the things you could put into a title.
She was someone who made room for people.
She opened her home to children through the in-home daycare she ran, spending years caring for and teaching others. Family was an important part of the life she built, too. She adopted my mother and my aunt when they were seven and five years old, giving them a home, a family, and a story that would eventually become part of mine.
And when I think about my own time with her, I don't first think about anything grand.
I think about her kitchen.
I remember sitting there as a child, completely fascinated as I watched her cook. I remember the conversations, the stories, the tea, and the comfort of simply being in her presence. At the time, they probably felt like ordinary moments.
I know now that they weren't.
Those quiet moments around her kitchen became some of the memories I carried with me long after she was gone.
My grandmother passed away on January 28, 2005, but her story didn't end there. Her life continues through her children, her grandchildren, the people she cared for, the things she taught us, and the memories we still tell.
Years later, when it came time to give this business a name, Ruth felt right.
Not because I'm trying to recreate my grandmother's kitchen or pretend that every part of this business existed back then. Ruth's Tea House is its own story.
But the feeling behind it is familiar.
Warmth. Creativity. Curiosity. Conversation. Care. A place where people can gather and feel welcome.
Those are the things I want people to experience when they encounter Ruth's Tea House—whether they're sitting at one of our pop-up tables, opening a package of tea at home, or someday walking through the doors of a permanent Ruth's Tea House.
So yes, we sell tea.
But the name on every package means something to us.
Before Ruth's was a business, Ruth was my grandmother.
And this is one of the ways we get to keep telling her story.
