tea supply shops?

First post, occasional lurker and all that. I searched and didn't find anything on this, so I was wondering: can anyone recommend a good place for tea supplies? Specifically loose tea canisters, though it's always fun to look through the usual array of teapots, cups, etc. -- and any variety of teas, of course. The only store that I know of offhand that sells tea canisters is Teavana at Water Tower, but I'm wondering if there's any other places that I'm overlooking.

Thanks!

Todd and Holland, on Madison, in Forest Park, has canisters and probably anything else you could ever need.

Todd & Holland Tea Merchants
(708) 488-1136
7311 Madison St
Forest Park, IL 60130
http://www.todd-holland.com

_____There was a place in Arlington Heights called Sailor's (just north of the tracks on Dunton). I nabbed several lose teas in specially sealed plastic and tin containers. Unfortunately my mum said it might have closed in the past few months. You could look into that.

I LOVE tea.

Thanks very much for the suggestions -- I should've mentioned I'm in Chicago proper (Edgewater) with semi-limited transportation, but I'm still going to see if I can get to either of these places.

edit: Sadly, the phone number for Sailor's has been disconnected.

Other places for loose tea:

Tea Gschwender
2142 N. Halsted St.
773-525-0671

The Coffee and Tea Exchange
3311 N. Broadway
773-528-2241

Argo Tea
958 W. Armitage Ave
773-388-1880

My Place for Tea
3210 N. Sheffield Ave.
773-525-8320

jgs wrote:Sadly, the phone number for Sailor's has been disconnected.

_____That really is sad... He started out as an online purveyor of lose teas and then sunk his money into the shop. He had grandiose dreams of a tea spot where all could come, learn, drink and lounge.
_____Unfortunately I tried going to his web site (not surprisingly http://www.sailorsteas.com/) and noticed it was no longer either. I just hope he didn't get in too deep and then lose it all, so to speak.

Thanks for the update.

and Ten Ren tea in Chinatown....

on Montrose ... they've got some nice pots & cups & tea making gizmos

This lovely Chinese tearoom/shop is on Davis Street, just west of the el and Metra tracks (in other words, accessible by public trans). In addition to selling a fine assortment of Chinese and Western loose teas, they also sell a variety of Chinese canisters, teapots, cups and saucers, etc.

The owners, a young couple from Shanghai, opened this store as an outgrowth of an MBA project, of all things. Something like that. They are super nice.

You can also sit at the counter or a table and have a cup; it's quite a serene little environment.

http://www.dreamabouttea.com/comersus6f/store/index.asp[url][/url]

TeaGschwendner actually has two locations. The one in Lincoln Park on Halsted is great for sitting and relaxing with a cup of tea (or a complete dinner). The shop on State Street has the best selection of accessories and tea stuff in town. They're on N. State Street just south of Division.

They also have a website at www.teagschwendner.com.

As you can tell, I'm a big fan!

Thanks again for all the suggestions! I've only managed to go by Dream About Tea briefly. Didn't have time for tea, unfortunately, but I was really impressed by the owners' friendliness and the supplies. Picked up four smallish tea canisters and a winter melon cake (which was fantastic; I've never had a really fresh one before). I definitely want to go again when I have more time and have a cup. As Angie-lala mentioned, it is a very serene environment, and yeah -- very nice owners.