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At Hooker Tea Co. in St. Petersburg, a Wii spot of tea

By Dalia Colon, Times Staff Writer
In print: Thursday, August 21, 2008

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By Dalia Colon

Times Staff Writer

It's a simple formula, really: Modern Japanese gaming system plus ancient Chinese beverage equals Tea and Wii night.

On Friday, St. Petersburg's Hooker Tea Co., on Beach Drive NE, will host Tea and Wii game night. The shop will set up two Nintendo Wii consoles with Wii Sports and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, along with two Xbox 360 consoles loaded with Rock Band and Dance Dance Revolution Universe. For $5, patrons get entry into the video game tournament, a bottomless cup of tea and a scone. The winner of each round earns a $1 store credit.

This will be the second Tea and Wii event for Hooker Tea Co., which opened in November 2006. The idea is to provide an alternative to the bar scene and offer an icebreaker to help new residents meet their neighbors, co-owner Shawn Hooker said. About 40 people showed up for the first event, which targeted the shop's younger patrons.

"The first time we did it, I was surprised at the customer base that came," said Hooker, 35. "The high school and college students did come, but they came with their parents. I guess (their parents) felt comfortable enough that, 'Yeah, I can come to a tea place.' "

The shop's patrons range from teens to baby boomers, Hooker said, but he makes an effort to emphasize the trendiness of the drink. Unlike doily-strewn teahouses that play up the British angle, Hooker Tea's sleek decor features sky blue walls, chocolate brown wood fixtures and 102 loose teas stored in silver canisters.

In addition to Tea and Wii night, the shop hosts other regular events. There's a $5 board game tournament the second Friday of every month, and the third Friday of each month is Tea and Tarot night, at which patrons get a tea leaf or tarot card reading for $15.

Dalia Colon can be reached at dcolon@tampabay.com.