Launnie Long-standers: Your Tea Shop

Tucked away on George Street is a sanctuary for tea lovers, community seekers, and curious passersby. Your Tea Shop isn’t just a retail space—it’s a story of reinvention, serendipity, and soul-fuelled business.

Owner Bruce’s journey to Launceston began with a hunch. After many years managing marketing and merchandising in Sydney, he craved something more personal—his own outlet. A trip to Tasmania quickly became a turning point. “I fell in love with the place,” Bruce says. “I saw a shop for lease, met the owner, made an offer, and—after a bit of drama—took over.”

Bruce began selling a small tea range and quickly it brewed into something bigger. “Tea started to outshine the giftware I was originally selling, so we pivoted,” he says. After outgrowing the original space, Bruce was offered his current shop on George Street in the heart of Launceston’s CBD. “It’s smaller, but perfect. And it’s working.”

Launceston has changed since Bruce started nearly 15 years ago. “There were more savvy shoppers back then. It was busier. People shopped in town. Now many go online or to the larger cities on the mainland,” he reflects. But Bruce has worked hard to build his own little pocket of mainland shopping right here. “I want people to feel like they’ve stepped into something special.”

And it’s working! Regulars drop in for a spot of tea, newcomers linger by his whimsical window displays, and some visitors have gone from first dates in-store to returning with their babies years later. “It’s multi-generational now. That’s the stuff that moves me.”

In 2020, when many businesses faced closure, Bruce’s shop became an unexpected essential. “The Premier rang me during COVID. People were flooding them with calls asking for my shop to open—even for just a couple of hours—for immune-supporting teas.” With special permission, Bruce opened for short windows, later extended. He hand-delivered teas all over town—often to mailboxes, sometimes hopping fences and dodging garden hoses. “Two-thirds of those customers still shop with me now.”

Your Tea Shop has become more than a business; it’s a community fixture. “There’s a real camaraderie between retailers here. We look out for each other. Even during hard times, the support—especially from Launceston Central—is incredible. There’s nothing like it anywhere else I’ve worked.”

Bruce keeps a notebook under the counter, filled with customer feedback. “If someone asks for something I don’t have, I write it down. It shapes what I buy. That interaction? That’s the heart of it.”

His advice to future business owners is refreshingly simple: “Do your research. Know the demographic. Engage with people. Be open.”

And what does being a Launnie Long-stander mean to him? “It means a lot. It means connection. Engagement. Nature. Storytelling,” He laughs. “I means helping people help people. We’re all in this together in the business scene in Launceston, and that’s what makes me proud to be a part of the fabric.”

After all, in Bruce’s world, there’s no problem a good cup of tea can’t start to solve.