Tchai-Ovna

Tchai-Ovna Fine Teas, based in Glasgow, is a speciality leaf tea shop and blenders which retails a wide variety of tea online and wholesales to other businesses. It also manifests itself as pop-up tea shops around Scotland and Northern England. It was formerly a tea-house and music venue situated in the West End of Glasgow where it served unique teas and recipes both created inhouse and around the world, many of which are still sold online today. They also served vegetarian and vegan food and were the first establishment in Scotland to serve Hookah pipes. Tchai-Ovna was a very popular venue for music, poetry readings and dramatic performances and an arts exhibition space for local artists. It also hosted musical events on most week days, with performances from songwriters, jazz musicians and local and world music artists.

Tchai-Ovna's name is inspired by the teahouses (čajovny) in the Czech Republic. The Glasgow venue was very popular, particularly with students, the elderly and members from local bands. Belle and Sebastian's 2003 album art for Dear Catastrophe Waitress was shot in Tchai-Ovna's West End venue; members of rock band Franz Ferdinand frequented Tchai-Ovna, some such as Nick McCarthy having played with owner and Jazz saxophonist Martin Fell; Scarlett Johansson came twice to Tchai-Ovna during film shoots in Glasgow, such as the film Under the Skin.

Tchai-Ovna was faced with threat of closure by a proposed new development of luxury flats on Otago Lane. A community campaign to save Otago Lane attempted to defend it. Whilst initial campaigns to halt the developments were successful, further appeals from the developer coupled with industry-wide issues lead to Tchai-Ovna closing with a month-long festival featuring multiple musical events in July 2023. Whilst Tchai-Ovna tea house sadly closed, Tchai-Ovna lives on, supplying numerous cafes, restaurants and hotels in the UK as well as selling its unique blends, honed over many years in its tiny yet busy kitchen, online.