Aug. 10, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.

If you think you’ve done it all this summer, consider this: A destination coffee shop, boutique and place for kids to play awaits with a short drive to Tea.

Zooks Coffee Bar

Two years ago, Tea didn’t have a destination coffee shop. Zooks Coffee Bar filled the void.

“We didn’t have anything like this at that time. No coffee shops, nowhere. There was very few places to eat, and I just thought, you know, it’s just time for me to maybe open something,” said Linda Kokenge, who owns Zooks and is a decadeslong Tea resident.

It opened in September 2021 at 815 Gateway Lane with a full menu of crafted coffee drinks – along with much more.

“We hear a lot that we have really cool vibes here,” Kokenge said. “It’s just a little bit more edgy, a little more probably moody than a lot of coffee shops.”

In addition to coffee, there’s a fun line of “Buzzed drinks,” a lotus plant-based energy drink, “which have become very popular. We do flight boards. People are enjoying that,” Kokenge said. “When people come through that door, through drive-thru, I want it to be a really fun, amazing experience for them. And that’s really our focus.”

The menu features breakfast items until close, including biscuit, bagel and croissant sandwiches, avocado toast and cinnamon rolls.

A meeting room that can hold about a half-dozen people is available.

“We don’t charge for it,” Kokenge said. “All we ask is that you drink some coffee while you’re here and make a reservation for it, of course.”

Zooks also embraces other small businesses, hosting everything from pop-up shops to a kids business fair.

“This is my first entrepreneurial experience, and you really need all the help that you can get to get your name out there, so I’m all about that,” Kokenge said.

Watch for pumpkin painting this fall and live music on Sundays. Hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekend.

Revive Boutique 

Tea Titan spirit is evident as soon as you walk in the door at Revive Boutique & Floral, which began online, then as a mobile store and opened its physical location in 2022 at 615 E. Brian St.

“It’s been good. It’s been the hometown feeling that I’ve always wanted and small-town feeling that I’ve always longed for,” owner Lindsay Kinzer said.

You’ll find a range of apparel designed for busy women.

“But it’s more of a simple style,” Kinzer said. “It’s more of just a comfortable, casual look that I carry.”

There also are some items for kids, even pets, along with gift items and floral arrangements.

“I decided to bring in some specialty gift items where if people have a funeral or birthday party or want something delivered, I can provide that service for them,” she said.

“I brought that in to stand out and just have a fun mix of things. I love going into stores and finding all the little things that they have that you wouldn’t even expect to find in a boutique. That’s part of my favorite thing about boutiques.”

Hours will expand in the fall but for now are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Tea Play Place

And if you’d looking for a place to bring the kids, Tea has that too. Tea Play Place opened last fall at 910 N. Main Ave. after owner Beth Hintz moved here from Wisconsin and wanted to create a business similar to what the family enjoyed there.

“We live in Tea, so we’re walking distance if we can walk here,” she said.

There are multiple rooms filled with toys and games. While the slides, climbers and other large play areas are permanent, themes and the smaller toy selection rotate every few months.

It’s an indoor-outdoor approach designed to be flexible.

“It’s just a nice environment for babies and toddlers and school-age kids to be able to play, and parents can interact with other parents,” Hintz said.

A flex room currently houses a bounce house and is used for things like music or religion classes as well as some adult classes.

There’s also a snack area and the option for drop-in care. While it’s geared to those 8 and younger, older kids like it too.

“We have board games, and we do a laser tag night and video game and movie night. We do all sorts of crafts,” Hintz said. “So that’s more geared toward older kids, and they’re welcome if they want to come with their siblings.”

Tea Play Place offers single-day admission, punch cards and memberships in addition to hosting events and groups. For hours and information, click here. 

The business also will host a back-to-school event Aug. 19 starting at 10 a.m. with multiple vendors. Click here to learn more.