October 3, 2025 Email Update

In case you aren't subscribed to our email updates, we wanted to make this email accessible to everyone:

 

Hi beloved tea customers, friends, and family,

This email is light on jokes and pretty pictures, but I wanted to send something since we've been in the trenches.

1. We're really behind, and we're really sorry about it. I don't mean like a basic sorry, I mean like, "Ah shit, we're really fucking up."

2. We're behind on orders through mid-July, but we're catching up fast now that...

3. Our Alice Boxes have SHIPPED. All of them! Deluxe box tracking numbers should update soon (your extra took a little more time and care than I expected.)

4. When I say we're behind, I mean we're behind on most things—emails, IG, orders, boxes.

Now that I've got the bullet points out of the way, I want to be more earnest and let you all know that we have been behind for most of the year, and it's been snowballing. With just the two of us and a lot of personal issues, illnesses, and huge life changes, we've had a hard time keeping on track.

We've tried to pause selling boxes and sending emails because, god, it doesn't feel right to keep promoting our shoppe and selling stuff when we're so behind, but also this is our livelihood, so it's kind of a double-edged sword.

Everyone has been so kind and remarkably patient, and all anger and disappointment is warranted—yes, your feelings and complaints are valid. We've dropped the ball, and the fact that we're behind on customer communication is awful.

I know there isn't an easy way to say it, but when you've been behind for 8 or 9 months, emails are scary and exhausting and telling people you're sorry and you don't know when you'll be better is really difficult. It doesn't make things right, and it's absolutely not the right answer, but it's been more a matter of mental health and the inability to do everything, so the first things to go are social media and email. Just head down, try to create and keep fulfilling orders.

This email is an apology (a poor, late, and probably redundant if you follow us on IG), but it's also a heartfelt message to you all that we know things are bad, every day we think about it and try our best to catch up, and that we're 100% in it—we are not going anywhere.

This is our life. This is our art. And most of you are tea family we've known for almost a decade. And we're sucking at it so badly right now, but god, we are trying to be tenacious.

This email does not excuse us from all of the stuff we've messed up, but it is a promise to try to work harder and do better and not disappear when we're tired or scared.

Thank you to everyone we've been talking to recently who have reiterated their love and support—it's easy to feel like we're alone in all of this, but that's kind of a stupid thing to think when we have all of you.

I don't really know how to end this email, except to say that we are grateful to all of you, and we hope this is the beginning of our redemption arc.

So much love,

Juli & Joe

PS. We'll be sending another email/updating our shipping page about Tea Festival/Witching Days/Ghibli Cafe soon!