Tea For Two

Until I find a job, I am living with my mom in Wilmington, California.

Wilmington is about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles but it's a world away in many respects. It's an industrial town surrounded by refineries, a sanitation plant, and the Port of Los Angeles. Container trucks rumble down the streets, trains block traffic, and oil companies regularly set off bursts of flames from what look like oversized concrete candles.

Wilmington is not pretty but it is a community. Generations of families pass through Banning High School's doors; new friends and neighbors are likely to be related or married to old friends and neighbors; and the mostly working-class residents are a proud bunch. Some even want to improve the neighborhood, as is the case with Nacho and Alma Velasquez, the owners of Hojas, the new tea house in town.

Hojas (meaning "leaves" in Spanish) is an anomaly here. Wilmington doesn't have a Starbucks or a Ralphs, let alone a place specializing in premium teas.

I spotted the business a couple of weeks back. It's in a Pacific Coast Highway mini-mall next door to a Salvadorian restaurant, a liquor store, a nail salon, and a taco truck. What caught my eye was the store's signage: a simply painted facade that reads "Tea House" in a nice font. You can't really see into the store because of its tinted windows, but the tasteful lettering seemed like a good sign -- it looked like a shop you'd see on the Westside or some gentrified part of L.A.

I pointed the store out to my mom today and she suggested we stop in. As suspected, the space is nicely decorated in a clean, modern style. There's a bar on one side where patrons can sip and sample teas, and there are tables and leather seats for wi-fi work and socializing in the main space.

Shortly after we walked in, Hojas's owner Nacho invited us to sample some teas at the bar. He explained some of the benefits of his teas and brewed us two types of green teas -- one plain, and the other mixed with a flowery substance I forgot the name of.

Nacho and his wife Alma both grew up in Wilmington and have been tea devotees for a decade. They opened the store in September and celebrated their grand opening this past Saturday with tea ceremonies, a live band, and samples.

Nacho said their clientele is a mix of locals, tea connosisseurs, and Palos Verdes housewives who stumble upon the shop while passing through town for pee-wee football games. People from Palos Verdes don't usually step foot into the town or patronize local businesses, so it's encouraging that they put aside their fears and/or prejudices to enjoy a cup of tea.

Hojas sells tea pots, cups, and saucers as well as an assortment of herbal tonics, herbs, and organic and loose leaf teas. It hosts tea parties and events and has its walls decorated with black-and-white photographs by Banning High alumni.

My mother and I were both impressed by Hojas and are going to patronize it. Tea really isn't my thing but if drinking it means I can help keep this business afloat, I'll do it.