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🎶Reeeeeal talk: indie 3rd place edition🎶 While Pride is typically "2nd christmas" here at the West Coast's Gayest Tea Shop, that was NOT the case this year. Everyone's numbers are down and summer is always a tight time for the specialty tea industry anyway, so we're *struggling*. (1/🧵)

We've had to throw occasional rent parties (& even a massive "plz save our tea shop" campaign) over the last few years as the economy continues to tank and more and more of our small biz friends just disappear. Horrifyingly, this is what "successful" actually looks like for indies right now. (2/🧵)

We love love love being a true community-oriented 3rd place in a time when third places are being eradicated left & right. It's a miracle we've held on this long, & you bettah believe it will maybe have us in debt forever. Like, that just may be real, & I've decided it's worth it to survive. (3/🧵)

That said: we're back at the "gotta survive until fall busy season" part of the summer again. Between operating expenses getting spendier and Pride being pretty much nonexistent this year, we're like $10k shy of where we need to be this week (more if I want to pay myself at all). (4/🧵)

We can't realistically manage another preorder round to raise $$$. Too many big long-run projects on the bench as is, between KS fulfillment, Advent prep & wrapping DCC samplers. HOWEVER, we have other great options if you want to help your fave tea shop survive the summer: (5/🧵)

Don't need more tea and just want to spread the queer nerd cash cache around? We do have a shop financial health fund donation link! square.link/u/La2AFWmg (6/🧵)

We can handle regular orders out the wazoo. Bulk tea is non-taxable in the US, so that's *better* for us than a donation, plus is great to stock your cupboard, gift to loved ones, etc. Bonus: tea doesn't even think about staling for at least a year, so you can do your holiday shopping NOW! (7/🧵)