Shop Associate

2280 Main St, Vancouver · 30–35 hours/week · 4–5 shifts

$20-22 hr to start depending on experience · Plus tips · Clear progression to $26-$28/hr as Store Manager ·

Daytime hours — the shop closes at 6pm (5pm Sundays).

Cultivate is a tasting room and shop for rare tea, matcha, and ceramics — sourced directly from small producers across China, Taiwan, and Japan since 2014. We are looking for someone to join our team on Main Street.

This role is focused on taking care of our retail store and the people who visit it. You will welcome customers, help them navigate our collection, make thoughtful recommendations, prepare matcha lattes and teas, maintain the shop floor, and eventually host tea tastings independently.

Just as importantly, you will help run the day-to-day operations of a physical store. That includes packing online and wholesale orders, packing tea and matcha, receiving and organizing stock, restocking, cleaning, opening and closing, and making sure the shop is organized and operating smoothly.

We are looking for someone who can eventually take ownership of the retail store as a whole — someone who notices what needs attention, takes care of customers and the space, solves day-to-day problems, and makes sure things get done without always needing direction.

This is a starting position, but there is a very clear progression toward Store Manager for the right person.

Starting pay is $20–$22/hr, depending on experience, with a defined progression toward $26–$28/hr as Store Manager.

Each stage has written standards, and increases are tied to demonstrated mastery and increasing responsibility. You will know what is expected at each stage and what you need to demonstrate to progress.

Tips are additional to your hourly wage and are not pooled. When you host a tea tasting, the gratuity from that tasting goes directly to you.

Team members also receive a health spending account after 1 year with us.

• Welcoming customers and providing warm, attentive service
• Helping customers navigate our tea and matcha collection
• Making thoughtful product recommendations
• Making matcha lattes and preparing teas
• Taking care of the shop floor, displays, restocking, and overall presentation
• Packing online and wholesale orders
• Packing teas and matcha
• Receiving, labelling, and organizing stock
• Cleaning and maintaining the shop
• Opening and closing the store
• Working independently and making sure daily priorities are completed

Running a physical shop also means doing whatever the shop requires that day - whether that is helping a customer choose tea, cleaning the washroom, packing matcha, receiving boxes, restocking shelves, or preparing a tasting. No part of this work is considered beneath the role.

Deep product knowledge across our full collection
• Hosting tea tastings independently
• Taking ownership of the customer experience and retail standards
• Managing the presentation and condition of the store
• Inventory management and ordering
• Training and supporting new team members
• Prioritizing and delegating daily work
• Solving day-to-day shop issues independently
• Managing the shop and team
• Progressing toward responsibility for the overall retail operation as Store Manager

We are looking for someone with strong customer-service, hospitality, or specialty retail experience who genuinely enjoys taking care of people and takes pride in running a physical space well.

You should be warm and confident with customers, observant, organized, dependable, and self-directed. You notice when something needs to be cleaned, replenished, reorganized, or dealt with - and you take care of it.

At the same time, you need to be comfortable with repetitive and hands-on operational work. This is not only a customer-facing role: packing, cleaning, organizing, receiving stock, fulfilling orders, and maintaining the store are all part of the job.

You do not need to be a tea expert, but you should have a genuine interest in tea and be excited to learn.

This is a self-directed position, and you will often be the only person in the shop. We are looking for someone who wants to take on increasing responsibility over time and has the potential to eventually manage the retail store for us.

Consistent weekend availability is required.

We are looking for someone who intends to stay and grow with us for at least two years.

To apply, send a resume and cover letter to info@cultivatetea.com.