River Forest residents who spent the past year tracking down Max Blessen's mobile tea trailer can now find his specialty teas at a fixed address. Joy Tea has opened its first brick-and-mortar location at 7773 Lake St. in River Forest, giving the grab-and-go tea brand a permanent home on the village's commercial corridor.

Blessen, a River Forest native who previously lived in Asia running a separate tea company, launched Joy Tea in mid-2025 from a tow-hitch trailer. He operated it across Oak Park and River Forest for nearly 400 consecutive days, rain or shine, building a following that regularly sold out his inventory.

The new storefront sits in a brick building strip between neighboring small businesses on Lake Street. Inside, natural light pours through a large picture window. The space features a warm wood aesthetic, bright digital displays, and bar-style on-tap beverage service.

Joy Tea's menu includes jasmine and grapefruit silk teas, green mango, and aged pu'erhs with buttercream, served hot and cold. Blessen's signature product is a seven-times scented jasmine green tea grown 1,800 meters above sea level in Fujian, China. He told the Wednesday Journal he has tasted hundreds of teas and worked with dozens of farms across China to develop the line.

Blessen said Joy Tea sources its tea directly from farm partners, with leaves picked, processed, and packaged specifically for the brand rather than sitting in storage for months. He contrasted that with mass-market teas that may be packaged six or more months before reaching a customer.

Village of River Forest police records confirm Joy Milk Tea Inc. held an active solicitor permit for a pop-up operation in the village through June 14, 2026, before the permanent storefront opened.

Joy Tea joins at least five businesses that have opened along the Lake Street corridor in recent years. A village newsletter from May 2025 listed Hub Kitchen, Black Fodder Coffee, CAVA, J. Crew Factory, and First Watch Restaurant among additions growing the local tax base.

Blessen said he has a small crew of employees and aims to reach 12 total staff by the end of summer 2026. His mobile trailer will move to Elmhurst in fall 2026, where he plans to introduce Joy Tea ahead of opening a second brick-and-mortar store.

"We will be the Starbucks for tea," Blessen said. "Starbucks has about 17,000 stores in the U.S. — I think we have a long way to go."

The store is open now.