Spice and Tea Exchange opens in Crystal Lake, Illinois’ only location: ‘Elevates your food in a big way’

Longtime Crystal Lake residents are bringing a new store to the downtown area that features hundreds of spices and teas and will be the only location of its kind in Illinois.

Cathy and Tom Koch opened The Spice and Tea Exchange of Crystal Lake, located at 57 N. Williams St., last month. The couple discovered the franchise a few years ago while on vacation, when they happened upon a Spice and Tea Exchange shop at Fishermen’s Village in Punta Gorda, Florida, and immediately fell in love with the extensive inventory. It was when Cathy was shopping online to reorder her favorite items that she came across the franchising opportunity.

“Why not Crystal Lake? I love Crystal Lake,” she said. “We have nothing like this downtown.”

The shop features more than 80 loose-leaf teas and more than 85 seasonings, including salts, sugars, peppers, honey and olive oils. A grand opening celebration will be Jan. 31 with free tea and food samples, special promotions and multiple raffles.

“Everything elevates your food in a big, big way,” Cathy Koch said.

The staff hand-blends a wide range of offerings in-store daily, and customers are encouraged to explore the shelves to experience the smells and tastes.

“The whole thing is about experience,” she said. “So when you come in, we want you to open up the jars, we want you to smell the product, we want you to see the product.”

The store is in a 112-year-old structure built in 1912 that features original terra-cotta tile. The Kochs took about five months to completely renovate the space with Crystal Lake-based Wood Urban Design and added a counter made from a fallen 222-year-old oak tree from The Dole Mansion property.

Cathy Koch said the shop “doesn’t look like a franchise when you walk in. It feels like a ma-and-pop store and it looks like a ma-and-pop store.”

There previously was a Spice and Tea Exchange in Evanston, but Koch said that store closed. Now, as the only Illinois location, the pair is seeing customers from as far as Downers Grove and Naperville. It took the Kochs about a year to find their perfect location, especially since the store thrives on foot traffic, Tom Koch said.

At first, he was hesitant to open a franchise as he still works full time, but he also fell in love with the items and wants to work with his wife after he retires.

“The last thing I want to do when I retire is sit down,” he said.

Cathy is the tea lover, and her favorite item is the hand-rolled jasmine pearls green tea. Tom is drawn to the spices, with his favorite item being the butcher’s rub that he likes to use to flavor frozen hamburger patties. Tom also makes a special cocktail every year for their holiday parties. This year, he was inspired to create an espresso martini with espresso salt, a white tropical tea with tequila and rimmed with chili lime salt, and a chai old fashioned with bourbon.

“You need to think creatively,” he said. “The salts can be for finishing or cocktail rims or even baking.”

Founded in 2008, the Spice and Tea Exchange has more than 90 locations nationwide with many on the East Coast.