Bitter Blossom will have in-house tea blends, as well as pre-blended teas on offer, available in retail and in bulk. Selections include traditional green and black teas, in addition to rarer or more specialty blends. The shop will also have tea-related accessories as well as incense, crystals, and other metaphysical-themed items.
One highlight of the new shop is a “mug wall,” of thrifted and secondhand tea mugs for sale, Andrew Sparks said, adding he is looking for mugs and things that “have a story, and have character to them.”
“It’s kind of a fluid project, pun intended,” said Sparks. “We just know that we’re going to be offering teas and products that are meant to make you feel a little bit better, make you feel cozy.”
Andrew and Chrissy have run D20 in Kettering since opening its doors in December 2016. The board game-themed bar offers hundreds of card games, board games, and tabletop RPGs as well as a wide selection of cocktails, mocktails, craft beers and ciders.
The couple purchased the storefront that will be Bitter Blossom in 2019, intending to turn it into a retail gaming store with a focus on local game designers. However, the expansion was quickly done in by the pandemic, and the space has since been used for offices and storage, Sparks said.
“We opened in March 2020, so that did us no favors,” Sparks said. “It was very difficult. The universe definitely threw a bunch of roadblocks there.”
Then, in December 2022, Sparks suffered an illness that resulted in him being unable to drink alcohol. While D20 remained successful, it halted his ability to participate in activities he previously enjoyed.
“I spent the last 15 years developing my palate, and using my palate successfully to build up businesses and eventually create D20, and now I’m stuck not being able to do what I’ve trained myself to do,” he said.
Instead, Sparks turned to tea. With encouragement from his wife, he began studying and analyzing tea the same way he would for alcoholic beverages, in addition to drinking it for his health.
The concept for Bitter Blossom then came about “overnight,” he said.
“Chrissy has been very supportive and helpful in getting me to embrace this spirit of not drinking (alcohol),” Sparks said. “Through that bloomed this idea that, ‘Well hell, we did it with D20.’ "
“The reception has been, as far as we can tell, nothing but positive, nothing but excitement,” Sparks said. “Anybody that we talked to about this is very excited to have this in Kettering. Even close to downtown Dayton, there’s not a whole lot that’s going to be like it.”
Being a board game bar, D20 has always had a market for non-alcoholic beverages, Sparks said, as not everyone who likes board games also likes to drink. The couple has worked to cultivate a family-friendly atmosphere, and just like D20, Bitter Blossom presents a twist on establishments of its kind, Sparks said.
The extension into tea and retail was a natural expression of moving forward, he said.
“D20 was a bar for us. We’re D&D nerds who like to drink. Bitter Blossom is an extension of that, because of our personal journey,” Sparks said.
Bitter Blossom is retail-only, but selections from the shop will be available to try at D20.
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