North Hollywood tea room and art space forced to close due to rent hike

A beloved North Hollywood tea room, cherished for its unique blend of serving tea and promoting local art, is set to close its doors permanently this month due to an unexpected rent hike. 

Teapop, in operation for nine years, also functioned as a haven for local artists to showcase their work. 

"It makes me happy to have a space to be able to do that for other people," said Arlene, Yuan, owner of Teapop. "In addition to creating jobs, that's the stuff that really matters to me." 

But a 53% rent increase is forcing Yuan to shut down. Customers who have been coming there for years said the space means a lot of artists in the community, and it will be missed. 

"It was a blunt hit," said Yuan. 

The tea room will close permanently next week.