Nestled in the heart of downtown Springfield is a quaint little store named Whimsy Tea Company. This store is owned by Laura and Gordon Davis, a married couple who have poured their heart and soul into their business. After getting her business management degree, Laura dedicated her career to helping those who face poverty, addiction, mental illness and physical disability. Outside of handling the administrative aspects of their small business, she works as the director of Supported Housing for Helping Hands of Springfield. Gordon has what he considers “occupational ADHD” since he has been a firefighter, youth counselor for troubled and at-risk youth, park ranger and many other things. Together, this couple has created a vibrant downtown business.

The Davis duo got the idea for their company from their personal life. They love trying new teas, and when the major tea distributer in the world was bought out and shuttered, they lost a lot of their options. The couple decided to source and create their own teas from scratch to make their very own custom options. When trying to decide on a name for their store, the couple agreed on the name “Whimsy” from the poetry tea times they have with their children. Gordon said, “We became fixated with the idea of a tea shop that highlights the fun and fanciful side of the tea world. And that is how we discovered the name and our direction.”

Their store is, in fact, whimsical. The space contains many beautiful works of art from local artists, an incredible gallery that has two purposes: local artists make custom labels for the company’s tea packaging and the gallery is a place for them to showcase their artwork. Gordon said “[t]hey have been extremely generous with their talents, and the least we could do is to offer them space to show off and sell their work.” The second purpose for the gallery is that it is an attention-grabber for the shop. People can see the beautiful works of art when they peek in, which will hopefully draw in business. The shop receives no profit from the artwork and does not charge any fees during purchases – all of the money goes to the local artist. The couple agreed that to do so “would run counter to our beliefs; [that] generosity must be repaid in kind.”

These owners have had many different collaborations with other downtown businesses. Before opening their brick-and-mortar store, Whimsy Tea Company started at the Old Capitol Farmers Market, which led to a collaboration with Pease’s at Bunn Gourmet. Currently the company has collaborations with Reverie Apparel, Café Moxo, Buzz Bomb Brewing Co., Luminary Kitchens and Provisions, Flow Mindfulness and Meditation, Innovate Springfield, Mr. Gixby’s Soap for Humans, Anvil and Forge, Three Twigs Bakery, Beezlebuns and Interurban Merchant, “We have some new ones brewing,” they said, “which will be going live in the near future.”

For anyone interested in visiting the store, the couple does recommend their favorite teas to try. Laura’s favorite teas are the Earl Gray blends. Gordon’s is the Whis-Teas that come in many different varieties. If these do not sound appealing, the Davis duo would be happy to help any customer pick out a tea that does!