Tea Room Consultations with Katherine

Par-Tea with Katherine (see list below)

Have you reached that time in your life when your thoughts take you to a "lovely little Tearoom" decorated with all the charm and love your imagination can vision?  Does the thought of owning your own tearoom speak to you? You probably have hundreds of questions, but don't know where to start.  Who can give you the answers you need in order to pursue your dream and to see if it's a feasible reality for you.   I am that person, someone who has "been there, done that".   I've had the experiences and challenges of owning and operating my own Tea Room from beginning to end.  I would like to help you with any questions or problems you may have.

I had reached a time in my life where I was between jobs, of a "certain age" that made me feel I wanted something different.  One day I was out to lunch with a friend and we were discussing the type of job I would like next.  I said, "I would love to own a place like a Tea Room.   A place where women can meet and relax, and catch up over little sandwiches and tea.  Relax from the craziness and escape from the turmoil of today.  Much like the lovely Tea Rooms of long ago.  My friend just said, "so what are you waiting for?"  It was like a light went on in my head.  I went home and discussed the idea with my husband who has always been my rock; he suggested I should look into it and see what it's all about.  I became really excited and decided "WHY NOT".

With my love of history and all things old or vintage, more and more ideas started coming to me.

I went online and tried to find information on opening a Tea Room but couldn't find any. I made some random calls but many people didn't want to speak with me.   I believe people were afraid of competition or giving "secrets" away.  I did however; find one person in a neighboring state who was able to provide me with some answers. This is the reason why I believe having a feature like this can be of help to those of you like me.  Having a source to ask questions I can hopefully provide you with some interesting and informative answers.

Money and funding would of course be the first concern about supporting such a venture.  Thinking about money and how to finance this endeavor was most important.  You have probably given this a lot of thought yourself.  I don't think I am qualified to speak on this other then saying, "whatever monies you plan for, expect you will need MORE".

My dream Tea Room was a house with a big wrap around porch.   I started to look around my area, and found that nothing was really available.  I was priced out of a market where  homes were just too expensive to rent or to convert.  I started to look at strip malls on the major thoroughfare that run thru our township.  I used the classified section of the newspaper and the internet ads.

I did find a "Deli" that was available for rent or sale.  I met with the owners who showed us around, and answered some of our questions.  There was a lot of equipment from the deli and a small kitchen.  We also discussed the money needed to buy their equipment.   We then contacted the landlord to see if he would allow us to take over the previous owners lease and his requirements for rent.  We went home to talk and think and after a few days we decided to go ahead with it.  I called our attorney to go over the lease and bill of sale and we were done. 

Before I knew it, I was the owner of a soon to be Tea Room.

It was very exciting and scary at the same time.  I began to make a lot of lists of what I thought I would need.  Kitchen equipment, flooring, lighting, painters, dishes, flatware, linens, suppliers, a chef, servers, uniforms, the lists went on and on, it was overwhelming.

Around this time, daughter Tracy, who is a pastry chef, gave me a surprise call.  She knew about my Tea Room plans from our past conversations.  She asked - what if she quit her job where she worked and came to work with me as my chef?  I nearly fainted, as this was something that never even crossed my mind. But who wouldn't love to work with their own child?  I just said, "Yes,"!   I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have someone with a different point of view but able to support my "vision".   It's so very important to have someone around you to bounce your ideas off of and for them to give you their prospective.

We began to visit the Tea Rooms in our tri-state area.   These road trips are a good way for you to see what you might like to have in your own Tea Room.   Decorations and food selections are so different at each and every tea Room.  It's a good place to take notes and think about how you may want to convey your "vision".  If you are lucky, you can introduce yourself to the owner and ask her/him to share some of their experiences with you.

Click here to read more about my Consultation Services.

Please contact me to arrange private tea parties or tea room consultations. 

Click here to Email Katherine  

Click here to visit website.

CATERING/PARTY PLANNING AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE TEA PARTY EVENTS SUCH AS:

Birthdays

Baby Showers, Bridal Showers

Wedding Day Tea for the Bridal Party Prep.

Day after Wedding Breakfast Tea

Girlfriend Teas

Secretary Luncheon Tea

Thanks for your Support/Friendship Teas

Halloween Tea

Holiday Themed Teas

Author's Tea/Poetry Tea

Cancer Awareness Tea

Book Club, Quilt Club, Crochet Teas

Women's Clubs, Libraries, Networking Teas

Fairy Tea Party

Teddy Bear Tea Party

American Girl/Doll Tea Party

Christmas Parties

Red Hat Groups

Twilight Tea pm

Garden Parties

Fashion Show Tea

Demonstrations and Talks

Women's History

and much much more!