From a tea salon-turned-catalog to women’s athletic wear dot-com, this month’s print debuts cross channel barriers
Having launched in 1994 as a tiny tea salon in Cambridge, MA’s Harvard Square, TeaLuxe has since expanded to nine retail locations, a Website, and as of this past September, a full-scale print catalog. The 34-page four-color catalog was distributed to 150,000 customers and prospects.
Marketing director Diana Rogers says the company’s goal is to increase brand awareness nationwide, drive more business into the stores, and broaden the customer base. “Plus, we already have a fulfillment center to supply our tea cafes, so the catalog fit into our business model with very little overhead,” she adds.
The catalog sells an assortment of 140 teas and accoutrements such as pots, mugs, and glasses. About 90,000 catalogs were distributed through the cafes (located in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York), with 60,000 mailed to names from the Website, the cafe mailing lists, and rented lists.
“We view the Website and catalog as another cafe,” Rogers says. “While together the catalog and Website generate only 10% of our business, they are the ideal vehicle for expanding the customer base.”