Clipper Ship Tea Destroyed by Fire
Donation protected
As many of you know there was a fire in Gunthers Taproom Tuesday May 23rd at 7am. The entire building is condemned due to smoke, water damage, electrical damage and unsafe structural conditions. We are currently not able to operate our business at the Clipper Ship Tea Company location. We have lost all our contents, equipment and product. It is unclear if we will ever be able to re-open in the same location. The journey to re-opening or re-locating will be a long and hard one.
After a decade long career sailing around the world in the Merchant Marines I decided that I wanted to move back home to Northport and open a teashop to sell teas from around the world. In 2010 I poured my entire life savings, approximately $125,000, into opening the Clipper Ship Tea Co. I opened the doors of Clipper Ship Tea Company in the historic building at 80 Main Street, Northport, NY. This business has been been my passion and my entire life for the past 7 years. Along the way I have been so lucky to be joined by employees Jackie, Mackenzie, Paul and Becca.
We have been blessed to have met and grown relationships with customers from down the street, across Long Island and across the country. So many of you have grown to be part of our business and you are the reason that we are still here. You are the reason that we have grown and thrived for 7 years. My 1st grade teacher from Norwood Ave is one of my customers. Friends of mine from Northport High School that I graduated with in 1994 are our biggest fans. Without all of you, we would never have been a success.
Since our building is condemed we have learned that it may take 6 months or more to re-open and get the building restored and to code. We would love to temporarily open in another location in Northport asap. Although we do have insurance we quickly learned this morning that it is not enough to cover all of our losses. We are looking to replace our inventory of 250 teas, replace electronics, replace product and be able to pay our staff so that they do not have to go elsewhere for new jobs. It is so crucial for us to retain our loyal and hardworking employees that have been with us for over 5 years.
Thank you for the hundreds of people that have reached out to us. We appreciate any and all help. There is nothing we love more than growing and operating a small business in our hometown Northport. We hope through your help we can get back on our feet and re-open with our staff.
Thank you,
Melissa Wawrzonek
Owner Clipper Ship Tea Co
After a decade long career sailing around the world in the Merchant Marines I decided that I wanted to move back home to Northport and open a teashop to sell teas from around the world. In 2010 I poured my entire life savings, approximately $125,000, into opening the Clipper Ship Tea Co. I opened the doors of Clipper Ship Tea Company in the historic building at 80 Main Street, Northport, NY. This business has been been my passion and my entire life for the past 7 years. Along the way I have been so lucky to be joined by employees Jackie, Mackenzie, Paul and Becca.
We have been blessed to have met and grown relationships with customers from down the street, across Long Island and across the country. So many of you have grown to be part of our business and you are the reason that we are still here. You are the reason that we have grown and thrived for 7 years. My 1st grade teacher from Norwood Ave is one of my customers. Friends of mine from Northport High School that I graduated with in 1994 are our biggest fans. Without all of you, we would never have been a success.
Since our building is condemed we have learned that it may take 6 months or more to re-open and get the building restored and to code. We would love to temporarily open in another location in Northport asap. Although we do have insurance we quickly learned this morning that it is not enough to cover all of our losses. We are looking to replace our inventory of 250 teas, replace electronics, replace product and be able to pay our staff so that they do not have to go elsewhere for new jobs. It is so crucial for us to retain our loyal and hardworking employees that have been with us for over 5 years.
Thank you for the hundreds of people that have reached out to us. We appreciate any and all help. There is nothing we love more than growing and operating a small business in our hometown Northport. We hope through your help we can get back on our feet and re-open with our staff.
Thank you,
Melissa Wawrzonek
Owner Clipper Ship Tea Co
Organizer
Melissa Wawrzonek
Organizer
Northport, NY
