A Lenexa tea shop will officially close in two weeks as the company moves more of its focus and sales online.
Savoy Tea Co. will close its doors at Lenexa City Center on May 10, its husband-and-wife owners say, due to the company’s shifting focus to its online presence.
Savoy Tea Co. was in Lenexa for five years
- The tea shop occupied a space 16953 City Center Drive, just off Penrose Lane and City Center Drive.
- Savoy Tea Co. served as both a café and retail shop with a wide variety of teas to choose from.
- The shop neighbored Topcoat Nail Bar at Lenexa City Center.
Savoy Tea Co. is focusing on online sales
Bill Beyer and his wife, Tina Beyer, launched Savoy Tea Co. in Arkansas in 2011.
The company had two retail stores in its home state, as well as another one in Kansas City, Missouri.
Bill Beyer said the closure of all of its retail stores is due to a shift into Savoy Tea Co.’s online presence — both in terms of selling its products online and hosting virtual events like tastings and classes.
Going forward, Savoy Tea Co. will also focus on wholesaling and private labeling for other tea companies.
“It hurts a little, you know, because that’s a piece that we’ve poured ourselves into,” Bill said about the company’s in-person retail stores. “We love the stores, love connecting with people and helping build the tea culture. It really kind of came down to just looking at everything and where we felt we needed to go with the company. We can only do so much.”
Savoy Tea Co. may eventually return to retail
Though the company got its start in Arkansas (where the Beyers are also still based), Bill Beyer said he and Tina often enjoyed visiting Kansas City even before opening a store in the area.
Though they won’t have as many retail stores as they used to, he said eventually, the goal is to reopen one large flagship store. Whether that will be in Arkansas or in the Kansas City area, though, is still up in the air.
“We just don’t have a timeline for it, but, but I’d say for sure, we’re probably going to be back to do something new and unusual and really experiential,” Bill said. “We’re looking around, looking all over and just haven’t found the right spot.”
In the five years that Savoy Tea Co. had a Johnson County presence, he said the brand built up a loyal following in the area.
Since the announcement of Savoy Tea Co.’s retail store closures, he’s received lots of emails from those customers — expressing both sadness to see the stores go, and excitement to see the company’s future steps.
Going forward, he’s looking forward to finding new ways to connect with Savoy Tea Co.’s customers, and the tea enthusiasts of the world.
“There’s this little community, because there’s not as many avid tea drinkers as there are coffee drinkers,” he said. “To connect with another person who loves tea and to sit down and enjoy that, that’s been really amazing to do.”
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