Within a half-mile radius in downtown Manhattan, there are five different matcha stores: MatchaBar, Matchaful, Cha Cha Matcha, the other Cha Cha Matcha and Matcha n’ More, which are each less than five minutes apart on foot.
Matcha, a kind of powdered green tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies, has become a popular drink in the wellness scene for its grassy green color and antioxidants. High-end cafes in SoHo like Matchaful blend it with nut milks or spices and sell it for $7, more than the cost of a latte. At the same time, places that once catered to healthy-minded New Yorkers before wellness became a buzzword — spots like Souen , Integral Yoga Natural Foods and Angelica Kitchen — are closing.
All three opened in the 1970s, when SoHo was home to an artistic and creative community. In the 1960s and ’70s, the neighborhood was a magnet for artists. Then came fancy shops and French restaurants. Most young artists haven’t been able to afford to live or maintain studios there for the last couple of decades. Instead there is By Chloe, a vegan fast food restaurant, which sells a quinoa taco salad for $12.45; Brodo, which sells cups of bone broth for $10; the Good Market, which sells pineapple raspberry kombucha organic slushies for $4.50; Welleco and the Nue Co, both supplement stores; the Hemp Garden, where CBD sheet masks sell for $29.99; the Detox Market, where the Vintner’s Daughter Active Treatment Essence face oil is $225; Lululemon […]
