Camellia Sinensis: Montreal

 Welcome to Camellia Sinensis: Salon de Thé in downtown Montreal. The day after the Ottawa Tea Festival I finally had my chance to visit this lovely store. Back in 2010, I asked a friend to get me a few teas as they were visiting the area. They were also as blown away as I was at the end of November last year.

     The day prior at the Ottawa tea festival , I had the pleasure to meet Kevin Gascoyne. We chatted about the Toronto Tea Festival and about the store locations within Montreal. It was a great honour to talk to him face to face and visit his Salon the next day.

The location I spent the most time at was on Rue Émery, one side is the tea shop and the other is a cafe. On the shop side I was greeted by the warm colours and delicious displays of tea ware. I left with a tray for ryakubon and tea, Matcha Sendo. After finalizing my purchase, I made my way over to the Salon side.

The space was full but still maintained its calm meditative feel. Patrons were chatting with friends, studying, reading or simply enjoying the atmosphere of the space. Once I was seated I was served a sample of tea and handed the menu to look over. Each table was given a small bell to ring once you were ready to order.

  For this visit I decided to enjoy Sensha Nagashima and a selection of Japanese sweets. While waiting for my order I took in the space, warmth of the colours around me washed over. It felt like a home away from home. The space was lightly decorated my various artifacts from tea growing regions around the world. It was very hard to not touch them.

    My tea arrived and I could not wait to start brewing this delicious selection of sencha. The grassiness was balanced with the sweetness that quickly came. Perfect development in the mouth. Paired with the quickly devoured Japanese sweets it made for a perfect evening. 

    I quite enjoyed that the service was focused on quality rather than speed of other establishments, it matched the atmosphere very well. Everything was simplified for quests right down to the amount of teas on the menu, which I must say should be between 15-20. This made it very easy for the Salon to be stocked with these teas at all times. 

       If you are looking for a quiet moment in the busy downtown of Montreal, I highly suggest making your way over to this establishment for some well deserved R & R, your taste buds will thank you.

Why marketing yourself matters: Individuals and small buisnesses

    

  Marketing should be taught in high school and higher levels of education. We market ourselves when we submit a resume, cover letter or network at a gallery opening. The new system is all about selling yourself. As an artist I was only just learning more about branding myself as the last days passed in University. Over time I have taught myself some skills and  continue to learn.  I wanted to share with you some great points that you should try out and see what fits for your own marketing efforts. These also apply to small businesses but I would suggest researching and creating a plan for all marketing/branding material before starting. This will save you a lot of time should there be a company that has a similar logo design from you. 

   

1- Be Social

      If you don't already have a few key social media accounts (Facebook, twitter, G+) then you need them. Being active on these accounts will boost the chance you have to show up in a google search. It also is great material for requiters to get to know you. The point is these are the places to be you, but be professional about it.  So before you post that picture of yourself last night at the bar wasted, think, Do I want potential employers to see this? I didn't think so. 

2- Start a blog

      This is very important for everyone. Blogging lets you express your ideas and if used right can help show your expertise in your field. The key thing here is to be humble and admit when you don't know the answer to something. Everyone honours honesty above everything else.  

3- Create Business cards

      I strongly believe that everyone should have this, no matter who you are! How great does it look when you are at a gallery opening or networking event and you exchange cards. Not only will the other party has your contact information, but you can have your blog address on there for them as well! These are important for anytime you meet someone.

4- Get away from your studio/computer

          Getting out and attending gallery openings is a great way to reset and inspire yourself. Although the key to attending gallery openings is to have your cards with you. Being social at these events helps you build your network. If you find someone who works in the same medium as you, having them in your network is invaluable. If you ever run into a problem you can ask them how they solved it. This also applies to small businesses as well. Create your own network to help eachother out. Finding out where to get the best deal on a POS system is hard

    

5- Be ambitious create a website

       Connect your website to your blog, this comes after starting a blog as it creates a following that would be interested in your page. Your website will be your online home for your portfolio, shop or library of literary works. What ever you decide it to be make sure you submit the url to top search engines to start getting traffic from these sources. 

  Make sure you have a simple design that lets viewers navigate easily, have a few friends check it out and give their honest feedback.