Every fall, Community Roots Housing hosts an annual fundraiser and tasting event, featuring small bites and sips from 20+ local, small food-based businesses. Tea Moss Shop has been a participating vendor at Omnivorous for the past three years. It’s a unique sea moss-based business founded by Takiyah, who spoke at Omnivorous in 2022. “I feel like Omnivorous has become like family…it meant a lot to me to even be asked to come and share my story.”
By attending Omnivorous, you are a part of a larger conversation about housing in our region. We’re continuing that conversation with Takiyah. After this year’s event, we spoke with her to hear her thoughts on affordable housing, the changing landscape of the city, why she started her business, and why she keeps coming back to share her time and beverages at Omnivorous.
Affordable housing: A foundation for community development
For Takiyah, the concept of affordable housing is closely related to small business ownership. She sees housing as the foundation that helps people pursue their dreams without the constant weight of financial instability. “As small business owners, we often give our all and go without to push our vision and our dream,” she said. Nearly half of renters in the United States are considered rent burdened, meaning that they spend more than 30% of their household income on rent. “A lot of people start small businesses in addition to their nine-to-five because they need that extra income. It’s not enough.”
When entrepreneurs are able to live in stable, affordable housing, it can give them peace of mind, allowing them to focus on building their businesses without worrying about where they’ll live next month. Below-market rents that meet the needs of a diversity of incomes can help to cultivate a supportive environment where small business owners can learn and grow. “It gives hope, and it gives a platform for people to pursue the American dream, and that’s constantly changing,” she added.
This is legacy: The journey of Tea Moss Shop
Takiyah’s journey with Tea Moss Shop began with a personal need for a natural health solution. During the pandemic, she discovered sea moss, a superfood known for its rich nutritional profile. “It’s everything you need. It’s going to boost your immune system,” she shared. As someone with a complex health history, Takiyah was drawn to its benefits. After some research, she found a sea moss source in St. Lucia from a small female-owned business. This partnership helped her access high-quality sea moss while supporting an ethical supply chain.
Building her business soon became an experiment in blending sea moss with other ingredients, creating unique flavors and textures that people would genuinely enjoy. “I wanted to take sea moss in a form where I looked forward to taking it and would take it every day,” she explained. Takiyah started with flavored gels like chai and hibiscus, then branched into lemonade—a refreshing addition for summer events. “I really wanted to destigmatize sea moss and how easy it is to incorporate into your life and feel better.” Her enthusiasm and unique booth set-up have made Tea Moss Shop a familiar name at local festivals and events.
Takiyah sees a lot of potential for cities like Seattle to offer more support to small businesses. Her personal experience at events has shown how powerful community engagement can be. At the Mountlake Terrace light rail grand opening this summer, she was amazed by the attendance, sharing, “the community came together.” She sold out an hour before the event ended.
Tea Moss Shop is more than just a business to Takiyah—it’s also her legacy. As a single mother, she wanted to create a business that she could extend to her daughter. “I’m very proud to say that [my daughter] has run her own booth. If I sign up for two or three events on the same day, I can put her at a booth, and she can run it herself. That’s been a proud moment for me.”
With the unique sea moss products she’s developed, she has also created a business model that she can share with her family to build wealth. While recalling a recent trip to help her sister establish a tea moss business, she shared what she told her nephew. “This is legacy. You will never be broke. As long as you know how to do this, you can find somebody that’s going to buy it.”
The spirit of Omnivorous: small business, community, and affordable housing
Omnivorous is an annual opportunity to unite community members around a shared commitment to affordable housing’s promise. When we asked Takiyah how she felt about Omnivorous, she told us, “Affordable housing and the changes that have happened in Seattle have been really jarring…to prices and to the cost of living. Being in an environment where people are actively and intentionally coming to support opportunities for people to have a place to call their own, to raise their families, to be safe. That means a lot. It’s a big honor to be a part of that and meeting people that are coming to be a part of that investment in fellow Washingtonians.”
Thank you, Takiyah, for sharing your thoughts and time with us! If you would like to learn more about Tea Moss Shop visit their website. You can also find Tea Moss Shop’s unique sea-moss infused products at Lil Red’s Takeout and Catering on Rainier Ave S. and S. Genesee St.
