By Sharron Luttrell
The owners of a popular café next to the post office have launched a GoFundMe campaign after learning their landlord will not renew their lease.
SereniTea House owner Alan Sanchez and his family were weighing whether to search for a new location or close down for good, when customers’ overwhelming response to losing their lease convinced them to start the GoFundMe and link to it on their Facebook page. The business is also seeking a bank loan.
“The outpouring from the community kind of energized us to want to continue,” Sanchez said.
Landlord Tim Aicardi cited strain on the septic system and limited parking at the 4 Maple Street property when he declined to renew the lease, which expires June 30.
“I gave him plenty of notice. They’re great tenants, they pay their rent, they’re nice people, but at the end of the day, they’ve outgrown their space,” Aicardi said. “I’d love to keep them; it just doesn’t work anymore.”
Sanchez and his wife, Zoe, of Whitinsville opened the business in December 2024 with Zoe’s sister, Shaina Krouner, and mother, Diane Krouner. The location previously housed Herbs Make Sense, which sold looseleaf tea, brewed tea and baked goods.
Sanchez and his family invested $100,000 in equipment and plumbing upgrades to make the space suitable for their business. The cafe serves specialty teas and coffee drinks, baked items and freshly made sandwiches. They promote their space as being welcoming to people recovering from addiction and keep a loose-leaf binder of addiction resources near the front counter. SereniTea also occasionally offers space for meditation groups and other wellness events.
With the money they’ve put into the business, moving would devastate the family financially, Sanchez said. He offered to pay Aicardi for additional septic maintenance or to double their monthly rent to cover any burden on the septic system.
“It’s had a huge impact on our family,” he said, emphasizing that he is not trying to disparage Aicardi. “We definitely wanted to stay. We tried finding many, many solutions to stay and he just said no.”
Aicardi maintains that money won’t solve the septic or parking issues because of the property’s space limitations. He said other tenants have complained to him about SereniTea customers taking up available spots. He looked into purchasing a portion of abutting Housing Authority land to use for parking, but was told that wasn’t possible.
But even if the parking issue were to be resolved, Aicardi said his primary concern is with the septic system. His understanding was that SereniTea House would maintain the business model of his former tenant, adding only prepackaged food, he said. But Sanchez said the Health Board required him to install a three-basin sink and small grease trap, which allows the business to serve prepared food. He submitted the café’s menu to the Board of Health during the permitting process and said he continues to do so whenever they update their offerings. The Mendon Board of Health did not respond to emails or a voice mail message requesting comment.
Sanchez maintains that the food at SereniTea House doesn’t produce grease because they cook with an oven or microwave. He said Aicardi hasn’t accepted his invitation to visit the café to observe their food prep practices.
“He’s never taken the time to go into our business and know what we do there. If his concern was prepared food he could just walk into our kitchen and I’d show him, here’s how we do it,” Sanchez said.
Aicardi said there’s no need to visit the business because washing dishes after preparing food introduces grease to the septic system. Aicardi, who is a building inspector by trade, said he is especially sensitive to conditions that cause septic systems to fail.
His ideal next tenant at 4 Maple Street will be an insurance company or similar business, he said.
“I don’t want a restaurant. I never did,” he said.
Aicardi has connected Sanchez with property owners with space to rent, though none of the locations were suitable, Sanchez said. However, he has a couple of leads on a potential new home for the cafe, one in Hudson and the other in Franklin.
“We have a lot of support from the community. I love that. I’m glad we have that support,” Sanchez said. But whether they’ll land on their feet in Mendon is an open question. “Could it be in Mendon? I don’t know. It’s not like there are a lot of potential locations in Mendon, unfortunately,” he said.
Photo above: MacKenzie Lavalee works the register at SereniTea House (Sharron Luttrell).
