NILES — Steampunk and tea may seem be like peanut butter and jelly to fans of the literary genre — a natural pairing. Steampunk often reimagines Victorian England life, while tea was often served, and still is served, in the country.

Laura Hollister, of Niles, said the connection runs deeper, however. That connection is part of the reasons she decided to open Apothica Teas in a storefront at 222 E. Main St. in downtown Niles.

If the shop opens when it is slated to in early November, customers can come in and purchase tea leaves in bulk or in a brewed cup. They will also be able to purchase tea accessories, scones, crumpets and coffee, all in a steampunk setting meant for quiet conversation, cosplay and board gaming for everyone.

“We have found that the discussions that can happen over tea can be life-changing,” Hollister said about her family. “Understanding somebody’s culture can start with just finding out what’s on their breakfast table, and then you can go into broader geopolitical discussions, and that steampunk literary genre gives you a perfect springboard.”

Steampunk, she said, allows its readers and fans to explore alternate worlds and histories in a story setting without shying away from difficult conversations.

“The two fuse in a way in my mind as a means of interacting with the world around me in a way that’s still safe and warm and unifying,” she said.

So, her tea shop will be created to elicit those conversations and comforts. The noise level will be kept at a near-quiet tone. Hollister compared it to the space between a library’s children section and reading areas, a place where table conversations could happen, but shouting would not.

At the shop’s back, where drapes on a wall dim noise from the customer counters at the front, are shelves of board and card games and a table for gaming, specifically of role-playing variety.

No matter where one goes in the shop, however, there will be trinkets and décor reflecting the steampunk genre, which places emphasis on fictional, near-fantastical inventions from Victorian times. Cogs, steam and mechanical contraptions are common themes.

Even in an unfinished state, the space had fine china, gadgets, gizmos and an old-fashioned cash register.

“Frivolity is a huge part of this,” she said. “We’re here to have fun. I mean, we take our tea seriously, but you can take your tea seriously and still have fun.”

Hollister wants her tea shop to emphasize community interaction in a way that is not overstimulating or overwhelming with its customers’ chatter and movements.

It is part of the reason why she said she will take the time to brew tea in-shop in a slow, mindful manner. It not only allows people to appreciate what they are about to drink, but it emphasizes a chance to sit down with others and strike conversation — only if one wants to talk, that is. Hollister is considering developing a system that will allow customers to show they are or are not interested in interaction.

It is one idea of many that Hollister has for her tea shop whose genre welcomes ingenuity.

Other thoughts are to introduce an English charcuterie, host public board game nights and offer private tea parties on Sundays.

“There are just so many ideas that people have had, but we want to focus on establishing our foundation first, and then as we get comfortable, then we gradually expand based on what customer feedback is,” Hollister said.

That foundation is the tea her store will brew or sell to be brewed.

Despite running Apothica Teas as a pop-up for a few years, Hollister considers herself a tea enthusiast, not an expert. So, she is creating classes with an East coast tea expert to inform herself and customers on the nuances and varieties of teas across many cultures.

“Tea has as robust a background as wine does — the origins, the altitudes that it’s raised at, processing methods,” she said. “There’s so much that goes into it.”

Although its times are still tentative — 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday to Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday — Hollister said she wanted to extend her times later into the evening.

“We’re hoping that those evening hours allow a place for family activities that we feel are kind of missing on Main Street,” she said. “Those all-ages opportunities, need we feel, is an area that we to address, and we will address as customers start to provide feedback. It’s a starting place.”