[alexophile]

I've never been to T&H, my work schedule doesn't really jive with their hours (they close at 6 m-w and aren't open on Sundays). But how's the vibe there? It always looked to me like a snooty wine shop, but for tea. Having worked in a moderately snooty wine shop, I would really rather go somewhere a little more genuine.

Its hard to explain rationally without sounding like a hipster, but I think I just got spoiled by the really cool tea shop I used to go to at school - it was like the kind of place you would find an ancient artifact of untold power in the corner behind a dusty basket of chocolate bars.

Not that that's the only kind of tea shop I would go to, but it really felt like a place owned by people who got it: they stayed open past their posted hours and when you walked in, whoever was working (there was a grand total of 4 people that worked there over the five years I went) would acknowledge you casually and never talk about product unless it really seemed like you wanted to.

I guess now I have to try it...

[tptacek]

They could not be less snooty. Bill Todd works retail at the store. There are shelves lined with what I imagine must be over a hundred different varieties of tea, arranged by type, packaged in small pouches and larger containers ready to take to the checkout, in front of a wall of much larger containers of other teas. You can walk in and pick things out by reading the pouches, or, if you signal the slightest bit of interest, Bill Todd will explain tea to you for as long as you could conceivably listen and (I've watched them do this for people but never asked myself) brew some up on the spot for taste tests.

Remember: their most common customer is "random person walking down Madison street in Forest Park".

[Shooter]

My testimonial:

I, a random person, was walking down Madison one day when I found the Todd and Holland store. Bill Todd spent over an hour introducing me to some white teas that were new to me, including providing taste tests. He was extraordinarily nice and I found a new favorite white while I was there. I can find tea I like cheaper online, but I am happy to pay a small premium on occasion just for his expertise. I sold my home in Oak Park, so I don't get in there as often as I would like anymore - but I can definitely recommend them as a great local merchant that knows their stuff. Unlike the mall shops where the staff tend to know little to nothing about tea.