Ship’s Log No. 012 — Tents, Tides & the People We Meet Along the Way

Back in the spring, we thought we were heading out to sell tea.

By the time September ended, we’d learned a surprising amount about ferries, wind gusts, tent weights, knots, weather apps—and people.

Somehow, the summer disappeared.

The outdoor market season is winding down, fall has arrived on the East Coast, and we’re looking back at a season filled with tea, tents, ferries, weather forecasts, new friends and more than a few lessons learned along the way.

It turns out that selling tea at outdoor markets is about a lot more than selling tea.

Who knew?

A Summer on the Road

Thursdays found us in Fredericton at the Garrison Night Market.

And Fredericton, you showed up.

You supported local. You stopped by, you chatted, you sampled, and you showed your love for loose-leaf tea. We are incredibly grateful for every cup you took home and every conversation you shared with us.

Saturdays found us at the Kingston Farmers Market, which meant taking the ferry over and back again.

And yes, our CFO, Riley, thoroughly approved of the transportation arrangements.

Sundays brought us home to the Queen Square Farmers Market—our home base and a place that has become so much more than a market to us.

It has become community.

Things Nobody Tells You About Outdoor Markets

This was our first full summer of vending at outdoor markets, and let’s just say... we’ve learned a few things.

First, you need to become an expert at loading and unloading.

There are tubs.

There are tables.

There are displays.

There are canopies.

There are more tubs.

And somehow, all of it needs to get from the vehicle to your little patch of market real estate using what feels like every available body part.

Then there is the weather.

Wind and rain are not your friends.

You start checking the forecast every hour.

You learn what a wind gust really is.

You begin to understand that a wind gust can, in fact, come from absolutely nowhere.

And you discover that you may need a degree in physics to figure out exactly how much weight it takes to keep a tent where you put it.

Then there are the vendors.

Imaginative, brilliant and always thinking outside the tent, while somehow still trying to stay within the confines of the tent.

One night at Garrison, I almost had to call it quits.

The wind had other plans.

My tent was leaving me, and I honestly felt like I couldn’t hold on for one more minute.

Then the bar manager from the outside patio walked by.

I told him, “I am going to have to go.”

He looked at me and said:

“HOLD ON.”

And he came back with two beer kegs.

Two!

He tied some incredibly impressive knots, clipped this to that, and suddenly...

beer and tea had become the best of friends.

Beer said, “Hang on, Tea. I’ve got you.”

And that, right there, is what being part of the vending community feels like.

Somewhere, someone has your back.

Or, in the case of an outdoor market, they have your tent.

Before long, conversations between vendors start sounding a little different:

“Where did you get that holder?”

“How much weight do you have on your tent?”

“How did you make that contraption?”

“What are you using to hold down your sides?”

Never in my life did I imagine I would have so many conversations about tents, canopies, storage units, totes and creative ways to keep everything from taking flight.

But here’s the thing.

The vending community is amazing.

When the weather turns against us, the lines between individual booths suddenly disappear and everyone becomes one team.

Someone grabs a corner.

Someone finds a weight.

Someone holds a table.

Someone starts rebuilding.

And once everything is safely back on the ground, we laugh about it.

Because we’ve shared something together that is difficult to explain to someone who wasn’t there.

A little chaos.

A little adrenaline.

A lot of teamwork.

And the feeling that, when the wind comes up, you are not in it alone.

Mactaquac: Wind, Rain & Worth Every Minute

The Mactaquac Fine Craft Festival was one of the highlights of our summer.

Yes, it was windy.

Yes, it rained.

Yes, it was cold.

But the organizers were absolutely fantastic.

Welcoming. Helpful. Kind. Present.

They worked hard to support the vendors and create a wonderful experience despite the weather, and that kind of care doesn’t go unnoticed.

We’re already looking forward to next year.

Hopefully with a little less wind.

And perhaps just a touch more sunshine.

What the Markets Taught Us

Our customers taught us a few things too.

Some of our best conversations started with someone saying, “I don’t really know much about loose-leaf tea.”

And that opened the door.

To talk about tea.

To talk about flavour.

To talk about where ingredients come from.

To talk about rituals, memories and the simple pleasure of slowing down long enough to put the kettle on.

Those conversations became just as important to us as the sale itself.

Maybe more important.

Because when I think about this summer, I won’t remember every sale.

I won’t remember every market day.

And I certainly won’t remember how many times I checked the wind forecast.

I’ll remember the people.

The customers who stopped to chat.

The vendors who helped hold down a tent.

The organizers who made us feel welcome.

The communities that showed up.

The early morning loading.

The ferry rides.

The wet shoes.

The cold hands.

The weather stories.

The laughter after the chaos.

And the unexpected friendships that grew around a little table covered in tea.

That’s the beautiful thing about being part of a local market community.

You start out thinking you’re there to sell something.

And somewhere along the way, you realize you’re actually there to connect.

To share.

To support.

To listen to stories.

And to become part of something bigger than your own little booth.

This summer reminded us that community isn’t something you simply find.

It’s something you build—one conversation, one market, one helping hand and one cup of tea at a time.

The Next Chapter

The outdoor tents may be coming down, but Rising Tide isn’t slowing down.

Fall brings a new rhythm.

New markets.

New places to find us.

A new chapter at Boyce Farmers’ Market in Fredericton.

And a wonderful new home for Rising Tide tea at Café Apothecary.

We’re carrying a lot forward from this summer.

Some better equipment.

A few more tricks for dealing with the wind.

A healthy respect for beer kegs.

But mostly, we’re carrying forward the people and the stories.

As the season changes, we’re incredibly grateful.

For every market.

Every customer.

Every vendor.

Every organizer.

Every conversation.

Every cup of tea.

And every person who has helped Rising Tide Tea find its place in this wonderful East Coast community.

The tents may be coming down.

But the tide keeps rising.

And we can’t wait to see where it carries us next.

With gratitude,
The Rising Tide Tea Crew

East Coast Tea, Reimagined.