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"Dreams do come true"
-- Anonymous
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About Us
Teas & Weaves
is the product of two passions. Claire Keys loves tea... everything
about tea… the culture of tea, the health benefits of tea, the
exciting new tea varieties and flavours, the beautiful and exotic tea
ware, and just relaxing and enjoying a “cuppa”. Claire’s
husband, Fritz Hollenbach, loves hand made textiles…especially
hand knotted carpets. Fritz’s enthusiasm for travel and primitive
art gave rise to a collection of oriental carpets that has steadily
grown for 15 years.
Put these two passions together, add some hard work, mix in some imagination,
and the result is Teas & Weaves, a fun and colourful
shop in Penticton, B.C. that sells “all things tea” and
a wide variety of hand knotted oriental carpets.
Claire, a native of Zimbabwe, worked in the Okanagan wine industry for
14 years. A culinary expert, she loves cooking and fine food and wine.
She has spent years educating people in the subtleties and nuances of
wine tasting and appreciation. Claire recognized the similarities between
wine and tea tasting…indeed both share many of the same terminologies
like, bouquet, body, aroma, astringency, terroir, and estate grown.
There are also many health benefits that both share, mainly the antioxidant
properties that each contain. According to Claire, “Tea and wine
should be enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle, and what a pleasant
way to promote health!”
Claire has gathered over 90 loose leaf teas from around the world and
is constantly researching and trying new products. She has a wide variety
of black, green, oolong, matcha, and white teas. She carries many varieties
of rooibos, and honeybush from Africa along with Yerba Mate from South
America. She has a wide range of herbal teas, and to round out her family
of “teas” she carries tisane teas or “fruit infusions”
containing no caffeine, and perfect for iced tea that you can serve
to the whole family.
Claire loves the challenge of “sourcing” teas for her customers.
Describe a tea to her and she will find it! Claire gives tea tastings
in her shop and has a great atmosphere, surrounded by beautiful carpets
and antique samovars, to enjoy a “cuppa”. Once you have
visited her shop it is hard not to share her enthusiasm for “all
things tea”.
Fritz has been growing grapes in the Okanagan Valley for over 25 years.
When harvest is finished he can’t wait to travel to an exotic,
and warm, location. His destinations are usually “off the beaten
path’ and involve living and learning about different cultures.
As well as taking lots of photos he loves shopping, looking for bargains,
and buying primitive artwork, especially textiles and carpets. Fritz
believes carpets are “artwork for the floor”. “Each
carpet is a hand made work of art”, he says, “and along
with being creations of great beauty, they are practical. Who doesn’t
love the feel of soft wool under their feet?”
Fritz has gathered hundreds of carpets of all sizes and styles from
Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Russia, Pakistan, India, and China. He believes
that by pricing them with a minimal mark-up they are comparative to
the cost of machine made carpets consisting of synthetic materials.
According to Fritz, “There is absolutely no comparison to a hand
made oriental rug and a machine made one. An oriental rug will be around
for many, many years… probably handed down to in the same family
for generations, while a mass produced machine made carpet is probably
headed for the land-fill in a few years time. Carpet weaving is an ancient
skill handed down through the generations. To appreciate the effort,
time, creativity, and beauty of these carpets is to appreciate and better
understand the cultures of these peoples.”
Fritz sources and purchases each carpet individually and is able to
price them so they are very affordable.
Prior to purchase, Fritz and Claire
recommend that their customers borrow the carpets to try them out in
the context of their homes. That way the customer knows for sure if
the carpet will work for them before they buy.
Tea and carpets may seem like a strange mix to some, but to Claire and
Fritz they are a perfect fit... they are passionate about it!
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