High-noon for high-tea at Murchie's

After steeping for 113 years as a West Coast business mainstay, Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd. has gone into receivership.

The company has been importing, blending and selling its specialty teas and coffees for the Victoria and Vancouver markets since John Murchie founded the company in 1894.

The elegant tea rooms and shops remained a family operation under current president Gwen Murchie, but now the company is up for sale.

David Bowra, the president of Bowra Group, which is acting as the receiver handling the Murchie's file on behalf of its creditors, said on Friday he believes a buyer will be found because Murchie's has a strong reputation.

Nobody from Murchie's would speak to the CBC about the sale, but potential buyers have until Nov. 27 to make offers.

At the Murchie's store in downtown Vancouver, customers were clearly sad to hear that the West Coast icon might change hands or even close.

Rhonna Eksyma told CBC News she's been coming to the 113-year-old tea and coffee merchant for decades.

"I just remember as a kid coming downtown … and we would always go into Murchie's," said Eksyma. "We liked the smell of it."

Lindsay Mcintosh, another customer, was horrified to hear Murchies had slipped into receivership, and offered some advice to potential buyers.

"I would really like to see Murchie's survive the crisis and stay in its traditional ways," McIntosh said. "The new owners would not be too smart to turn it into another Starbucks."

But others said Murchie's needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Passing by the store, Jean Marc said he favours Starbucks.

"I just walk by them every time. I'm aware of them but maybe they're a little old-fashioned, out of date," said Marc.