Business & Tech

Dr. Tea's Ready to Reopen Next Week on Huntley Drive

New business owner Dennis Desantis gears up for the flagship store, located just around the corner from the old space on Melrose.

Something's brewing over on Huntley Drive. After three years of closing, Dr. Tea's—the shop beloved by locals for its immunity boosting blends—plans to reopen next week.

The tea and herb selection has been cut in half (120 to 56), according to the manager, but the new haven of tranquility at 607 N. Huntley Dr. has some added features to get excited about.

For one, there will be more seating inside, plus a pet friendly garden in front. And since Dr. Tea's will be sharing the space with Evolve Wellness, massage and acupuncture services will be offered just steps beyond the koi pond out back.

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Dr. Tea's new owner Dennis Desantis also says this time around the teahouse is going to serve coffee, with food from Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop in Beverly Hills and muffins and pastries delivered from Doughboys Bakery on West Third Street.

Desantis purchased Dr. Tea's six months ago. He lost his mother last year to Lupus, an auto-immune disease with still no known cure, and plans to donate a percentage of the store's proceeds to the cause.

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"She loved the whole concept of what I was doing," Desantis told Patch, sitting at the empty bar inside Dr. Tea's renovated space.

Desantis, who is also part-owner of Eva Longoria's restaurant/nightclub Beso in Hollywood, said he first discovered Dr. Tea's when he tagged along with a friend who was under the weather. "From there on in, I just saw the potential," he said.

In 2007, Dr. Tea's took over Elixir on Melrose and quicky became a popular celebrity hangout. The high-end shop boasted exotic leaves and a truly Zen garden. But rent was high, and two years later, Dr. Tea's shut down its only location and moved entirely online.

Since the original garden at 8612 Melrose Ave. was dug up to make room for a new building currently under construction, Dr. Tea's needed to find another home. Evolve Wellness, located just around the corner, offered to share their space, moving to the back, with Dr. Tea's taking up most of the property.

"The whole retail from the website will be sold here," Desantis said. "We need to have a flagship store if we have a meeting with MGM or Ralphs wants to come and see our establishment."

Now Desantis is just waiting on the health department's approval to open. It could be another seven days until Dr. Tea's makes its big return.

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