CITIZEN TEA CANTEEN OF NOWHERE, A HANDICRAFT SHOWROOM AND A KOPI-STYLE TEA ROOM BY SARAN YEN PANYA THAT STARTED WITH AN AIM TO CONNECT BUSINESS OF DESIGN WITH THE COMMUNITY AND BRING BACK TRADITIONAL THAI-CHINESE CULTURE
TEXT: RATCHADAPORN HEMJINDA
PHOTO: KETSIREE WONGWAN EXCEPT AS NOTED
(For Thai, press here)
It’s basically a given at this point for Bangkok’s Talat Noi quarter to welcome at least one new cafe or space on a monthly basis. The latest addition, Citizen Tea Canteen of nowhere, occupies the space inside a shophouse hidden in Duang Tawan Alley where the Jow Sue Kong shrine is situated.
Saran Yen Panya (right), Benjapak Petchclai (left)
Perhaps saying that it’s hidden isn’t exactly the right way to put it, the reason being is its use of ‘bold’ colors. The orange and black tiles that take over the entire surface of the floor-to-ceiling walls is basically an unabashed scream for attention, clearly with an aim to turn some heads. O – Saran Yen Panya, artist, designer and founder of 56th Studio cracks the surface of the quintessential Chinese roots of Talat Noi neighborhood, taking inspiration from what he found from his survey of the tea culture in Yaowarat, Bangkok’s famous China Town. ‘Yaowarat is home to a lot of cool establishments and each possesses some very unique visuals, whether it’s antique tea boxes or the way they decorate the back of a shelf with a poster of floral patterns and plum blossoms, which I find to be pretty freaking cool. I took all these elements and created a pattern on silk screen, which was later printed on leftover wood scraps, along with other symbols such as tigers, dragons, tea containers, auspicious symbols, all the details that have always been a part of the tea culture.’
But Citizen Tea Canteen of nowhere isn’t a tea shop. Oh – Benjapak Petchclai, the owner of the shophouse where the shop is set up, who is also one of the business partners, told Saran that there are already to many F&B establishments in Talat Noi, so in its essence, this place would function as a showroom of craft products, bringing buyers a wide range of crafts items. ‘We feel like, at the end of the day, craft products are still like an underdog culture. The people who create these products are feeling discouraged because despite the passion and labor put into weaving a piece of textile, this occupation hasn’t been able to bring them affluent income. When we work more closely with local craft communities, we have come to realize that in order for a product to sell, the entire chain of supply and demand has to really connect. That’s how we can preserve special qualities of a craft product until it reaches the buyers,’ Saran told art4d.
Photo courtesy of Citizen Tea Canteen of nowhere
And that’s the reason why the place is packed with craft products from a clothing line of under the citizen of nowhere’s brand, bags, accessories to art pieces and design items, all filled with unique, hand-made attributes. ‘I see tea as a service and experience that’s like an add-on to the products,’ Saran further explains that what they put together here is something that cannot be experienced through an online shop. “Not to mention that the tea making process is extremely manual. From the brewing, blending process to the utensils that are used.” Simply speaking, having personally visit the place, each cup of tea was nothing but pure meticulousness, as in it took a while to complete the entire tea making and serving process.
Photo courtesy of Citizen Tea Canteen of nowhere
Behind Citizen Tea Canteen of nowhere’s tea bar sits a myriad of items, from tea containers, teapots, teacups to the old-fashioned looking glass holders commonly found in restaurants back in the old days. Saran gives these glass holders a new flair with elements of graphic patterns and parts from different crafts items, which when mixed, become a fresh-looking, flavorful and idiosyncratic item. Apart from the packaging, there are the drinks, from milk tea, black tea to Kopi coffee. A particularly interesting item is the 13th Signature Tea Blend Duck Noodle inspired by the famous Grom Jao Tha duck noodle place located in Talat Noi district, which is a collaborative menu between Behind Citizen Tea Canteen and a tea master. The notable woody scent reminds one of the aroma inside a noodle shop. In way, the menu encapsulates what Saran wants to create, which is essentially a blend of his business and the community it is a part of.
On the second floor, we saw the windows looking out to the roof of the neighboring shrine and realized that everything about the place isn’t really a contrast to its surrounding context of an old town district whatsoever, considering the colors of the roof is just as flamboyant as the those of the shop itself. They reflect the designer’s own quirkiness and his relentless attempts to come up with unconventional fusions of things. ‘What I did with the place isn’t what most people would consider to be matured but I feel like it’s going to trigger young people to see that there are new, different ways to do things. I think the trial has been blazed to a certain point, and it has been for a while now. In the time when there hasn’t been a solid ground for people in the design industry to stand on, the first stone is laid and the way has been paved, now everyone can jump in and take what we have started further,’ Saran wraps up.
Citizen Tea Canteen of nowhere is open Friday – Sunday from 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.