Tea And Sympathy In The Time Of Coronavirus

HERNDON, VA — Rachel Eisenfeld, the owner of Herndon's The Elden Street Tea Shop, admits that she doesn't really like coffee.

"Not to knock coffee, because most people like coffee, but with coffee it's always going to taste somewhat like coffee, right?" she said. "But with tea, there is just so many other flavor profiles depending on the different plants and things that you've used, that it really does change the flavor profile, depending on what's in the tea."

It was 10 years ago, when Eisenfeld was in college, that she first learned to appreciate the wonders of loose tea. "You can get thousands of combinations of different varieties and flavors from the tea, also based on the different regions," she said. "So, tea's a lot like wine in the way that the different regions and the climates in the environment the tea has grown in, takes on a different flavor profile, which I find absolutely fascinating as well."

As a resident of the Town of Herndon, Eisenfeld wanted to share her love of tea with the community and also see more small businesses, like a tea shop, open in the town. That was the catalyst for her decision to start The Elden Street Tea Shop (714 Pine St., Herndon, VA 20170) in November 2018.

"We were a pop-up shop at ArtSpace Herndon for a year before we actually opened our brick and mortar store," she said. "We were very grateful that ArtSpace let us do that and got to know our customers and our community by doing the pop-up shop. We were there on Saturdays with tea and board games."

Eisenfeld's goal in opening the tea shop was to create a space where people in the Herndon community would feel comfortable hanging out, sipping tea, and making new friends.

"We have a lot of regulars that come to the shop, and, they've also become friends through tea," she said. "It's great because we can be very comforting in good times and in bad times."

Speaking of bad times, The Elden Street Tea Shop is currently closed thanks to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's stay-at-home order, mandating that all non-essential businesses stay closed until June 10, to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

According to Eisenfeld, the stay-at-home order has had a huge impact on her business. She had to cancel all weekly events and monthly afternoon teas.

"I get emails from customers every day saying how much they missed the tea shop and they can't wait to come back, and that really does kind of keep me going," Eisenfeld said.

To discourage people from going out, she also decided it was best not to open the shop for carryout. Instead, she is only taking online orders for delivery and shipping. People can also donate to the shop's Keep The Lights On Fund.

"Sometimes it's good to just take a moment to breathe and reflect," Eisenfeld said. "We will get through this together. We can have a big party when the virus has flattened and we can open our doors and hope that everybody will come back and join us."

Related:

• Reston Clothing Shop Donating Dresses To Coronavirus Responders
• Herndon's Weird Brothers Coffee Adapts To Coronavirus

This is one in a series of articles Patch is writing about small businesses in the area. Small business owners can also add their the name of their business to our list of open businesses in Herndon and Reston.