WOMEN MAKING HISTORY 2026: Elyse Ribbons | Building Community, One Cup at a Time
- The Chronicle News
- 2 hours ago
- 1 min read
Sometimes reinvention is not a setback.
It’s an invitation.
After spending decades living and working in China, Elyse Ribbons returned to the United States with a decision to make: how do you begin again?
Her answer was both simple and powerful, create space.
In 2024, she opened Chengdu Teahouse in Lansing’s Old Town, blending her deep cultural knowledge with her passion for tea and community building. What she created is more than a business, it is a gathering place, a third space where people can connect, create, and simply be.
Through workshops, events, and shared experiences, Elyse has built a platform for artists, thinkers, and community members to engage with one another in meaningful ways.
Her work invites people to slow down, to explore, and to experience something both grounding and transformative.
Her advice is rooted in wisdom: do not put your dreams aside too early. Build your foundation first, so that when you choose to compromise, it comes from strength, not sacrifice.
Because sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do…is create a space where others feel at home.
Inspiring Quote:
"I realize I don’t know very much. None of us knows very much. But we can all learn more. Then we can teach one another."
Octavia Butler
Keep in touch with Elyse ⬇️
@chengduteahouse IG/TikTok
FB: Chengdu Teahouse
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