Kerrytown Business Spotlight: TeaHaus

Leila Durrie, Paige Plavnick, Lucia Page Sander, and Meghan Pillote • November 2, 2023

Lisa McDonald opened Tea Haus five days after giving birth — to her second son. 16 years later, McDonald admits that she’s always done everything “a little bit weird” and her path to running her own Tea-centric business is exhibit A.

“I never planned on living in Europe for 15 years – that was supposed to be a three month backpacking trip,” McDonald said. “Timing wise, you just kind of got to do stuff. You’ve got to for it.”

In her 15 years abroad, McDonald lived in both Germany and Sweden, both teaching at the University of Tübingen in addition to working as a consultant.

Now, McDonald still owns and operates Tea Haus (along with the help of one son) and has recently moved into a new space, still in the Kerrytown neighborhood. In time, she hopes to hire more employees who can take on daytime hours in order to take a bit more time to herself.

About the Contributors

Leila Durrie, Social Media Editor-in-Chief

Leila is happy to be back for her third and (sadly) final year on Communicator! When not at school, you can find her working her cafe job, studying Spanish at umich, being her younger sisters personal chauffeur, or doing theater. She also enjoys traveling, being outdoors, concerts, thrifting, and spending time with friends. She loves multimedia and is excited to work with everyone to make Social Media and all Communicator publications super great this year!!

Paige Plavnick, Web Editor-in-Chief

Paige Plavnick is a junior at Community high school and is entering her second year on staff and her first year as a web editor in cheif. When she is not editing or writing for journalism, she is student tech directing for the theater program at CHS. She also enjoys spending time with friends and baking. She is so excited to learn and grow as a writer and editor this year!

Lucia Page Sander, Print Editor-in-Chief

This is Lucia's sixth semester on staff, third as an Editor-in-Chief, and first as a Print Editor-in-Chief. When she's not playing soccer for the Michigan Jaguars, competing for Lily Weightlifting, or enjoying her many responsibilities at CHS, you can find her in the Huron River, on the phone with last year's Communicator EICs, or jumping on her mini trampoline. Lucia loves surfing, watermelon, all things agriculture, and is in the process of learning how to predict the weather using clouds and enjoy long-distance running. She is anticipating a spectacular final year at Community and the helm of The Communicator.

Meghan Pillote, Journalist

Meghan is a junior at Community High School, and this is her first year on staff. She enjoys going for walks, listening to music, hanging out with friends, drinking coffee, and baking in her free time. Her favorite spot to get a fun drink is Bearclaw coffee, she claims they have the best mocha in all of Ann Arbor!