Wanting to open a tea shop in Broward County need advice (Fort Lauderdale: leasing, attorney)

[pace80]

Hi all,

I have been reading this forum for a long time this is my first post. My wife and I own a tea shop that has been pretty successful in Montreal, Canada and would like to bring our concept to South Florida. We know Broward County very well and have visited tea shops like Teavana at Coral Square mall and Sawgrass and they have always been busy. Other than them, we saw that there is not much competition in the area.
We would like to know where you think in Broward County would be the best location to establish a tea shop.
We are not talking about a tea room, where people come in and have tea but a shop where people can buy loose leaf tea and possibly goodies ( scones, brioches, chocolate ). We appreciate your opinions.

[Fl1150]

I would say possibly Victoria Park(Ft.Lauderdale) because I'm pretty a lot of young professionals and other types would love a place like that.

[wizrap]

If your shop is well-known in Montreal, you might want to consider leveraging that name in a section of Broward that attracts many Canadians -- Hollywood Beach. You can check out the nearby downtown area on Hollywood Boulevard.

If you want to target a demographic that is perhaps similar to Coral Springs (large west Broward suburb, generally middle to upper middle class city) then you can look south to Pembroke Pines. There's the Pembroke Lakes mall and the shops of Pembroke Gardens (much nicer, busier and more upscale than the mall).

Sawgrass mall is considered (I believe) the second most popular tourist attraction in Florida after Disney World. If you want to target tourists, but don't want to consider Sawgrass, then look at Las Olas (which would probably be a good area to also attract locals, like the ones that live in Victoria Park) or go even further upscale and look at The Galleria, which I consider to be Broward County's most high-end mall.

Good luck to you!

[Papillons2]

I live in northern Fort Lauderdale (near Imperial Point Hospital), and there is nothing specializing in tea nearby -- several Starbucks, but not the type of shop you'd open. As far as I know, there's nothing like it along the U.S. 1 corridor from south Pompano Beach to Victoria Park. So you might consider this area as well as Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, which attracts a large contingent of French Canadian tourists and snowbirds. As a recent convert to green and herbal teas, I'd definitely check out such a shop if one opened nearby.

[OptimusPrime69]

It would be great if u could open to on Las Olas BLVD as there is a lot of foot traffic and people looking to stroll about, sip tea and shop...however I imagine renting along there is expensive, but it sounds like a great idea! I really hope it works out for you! I personally, love tea of all sorts and wish there were more stores like the one you're trying to open.

[Tarzanman]

Its too hot and humid. The salt water will ruin your tea leaves and the demand for hot tea will be limited by the hot temperatures.


Open your shop in a heavily air conditioned building instead.

[Dragonmam]

Teavana was acquired by Starbucks and Starbucks is planning to open more Teavana stores using the Starbucks concept for the stores (custom drinks plus loose tea sales). They are targeting urban, non-mall locations, as they already have Teavana stores in many malls. I don't know, though, if they mean the smaller strip malls as well. If you do end up leasing in a multi-unit property, have an attorney look over the lease and insert a non-compete clause.

I agree that Hollywood would one of the better choices because it has not just Canadians but many other cultures that are traditionally tea drinkers. I agree also that US 1 in Fort Lauderdale has some potential areas. Lauderdale by the Sea seems still a little quiet in the off season, but the downtown looks beautiful now that they've redone it and it might be a good time to get into a business down there. Delray Beach also comes to mind, with its art stores, boutiques and such. They always have festivals and things going on every weekend, to the point where they are thinking they need to cut back on the permits issued because the constant crowds and planning and cleanup they require.

Any strip mall or plaza that has a Whole Foods or a Fresh Market (there is a new one in Sunrise, close to, but not in the mall) might be a good bet as well.

[jhlcomp]

There have been a number of tea rooms here over the years. Please do not confuse a chain tea seller such as Teavana to a tea room as one finds in the UK or other areas around the world.

There was a tea room on Las Olas years ago and it had a great following, but didn't last. There was one in Parkland that was also hugely popular and lasted a number of years. The latter had an angle where hats were available to wear while having ones tea. It was a wonderful escape. The offerings were also varied and equally delightful.

So, if you open a tea room, I will certainly be one of your patrons - I love tea rooms.

[ruski]

There are some new places being built on Hollywood Beach, starting with the Margaritaville Resort, then Costa Hollywood, Hyde Resort... I think this will bring an interesting mix of people to the area who will probably enjoy a nice tea room.

[pace80]

Thank you for all the tips.
We are in the area and are hunting for places.
We found a nice plaza in Plantation (or Davie?), where there is a brand new Whole Foods and a creative type of store like Michaels. What do you think of that location? (University and Peters rd)
Also, we checked out a relatively New plaza in Pines (Hiatus and Pines Blvd).
Thanks again for all your input.