At Destination Tea, one of our least favorite things to do is to remove a tearoom from our afternoon tea directories, especially one that is new or has recently come under new ownership. Wise Aunt Mary wisely cautioned that if we want special places to be there for us to celebrate our big moments in life, we must patronize them regularly.
In today’s post we say goodbye to two Georgia afternoon tea venues where we had the bittersweet fortune to take tea, the month before their closings. First pictured here is Coze Tea Studio — a first-year tea studio in historic Stone Mountain Village — and the second is Cottage Treasures Tea Room and Gift Shop — a longstanding country teahouse in Ringgold, under new management in recent years after the original owner’s retirement.
Help Your Local Tearoom Make the Three-Year Mark
Tearoom owners we’ve spoken to over the years say that making it beyond the third year is usually a significant measure of a tearoom’s viability. What does that mean to us afternoon-tea-goers? We need to reserve our teatimes often in the first years of a new tearoom or new ownership, bring friends and share our good time on social media.
Of course we would say that; Destination Tea is on a mission to spread the word about the scrumptious fabulousness of afternoon tea. We say, who wouldn’t want to know about this lovely custom that encourages us to slow down, look each other in the eye, laugh and catch up with loved ones, over tasty treats and warming teas?
Be Kind: Reveal the Wonderful World of Afternoon Tea to A Clueless Friend
Just think, you will have the singular pleasure of hearing your newbie friend’s gasp when the three-tiered tea tray is presented. In fact, I just had that pleasure last week, when I brought two friends to a new Norcross, Georgia teahouse for their first time. Remember, I was 28 when I first learned about the afternoon tea tradition. [Dramatic sigh]. All those wasted afternoon-tea-less years! Younger generations need to know about afternoon tea, which is the perfect “me time” getaway for new moms, and alternatively an ideal setting for kids and teens to practice etiquette and polite table manners.
Excuses to Luxuriate over Afternoon Tea
For those of us already “in the know” about the joys of afternoon tea, we don’t wait for a special occasion to reserve a teatime. We go to tea on the regular. In our experience, this happens naturally as more and more of one’s friends learn about afternoon tea and begin urging, “let’s go to tea again soon.” This month, we organized a neighborhood tea party at our “home teahouse” (Ivy Tea House in Norcross), filling the 20-person guest list within two weeks.
Afternoon Tea Is the Perfect Way to Celebrate
While we certainly don’t need a special reason to go to tea, these occasions are perfectly suited to a tea party, with its leisurely pace, homemade treats and beautiful table setting.
- Showers (Baby, Bridal),
- Holiday Celebrations,
- Mother-Daughter Outing,
- Multi-Generational Family Get-Together,
- Children’s Tea,
- Tea Society, Book Club, Red Hat or other Group Meetings,
- Tea Education (Etiquette, History, Customs)
- Tea Tour
And remember, some of the venues in our afternoon tea listings only offer tea to private parties of a certain minimum size. If you’re coveting a visit to such a place, keep that info tucked away for the next time you are planning a like-sized group event, and make your dream afternoon tea come true!
Good News: Afternoon Tea on the Rise
Though we are glum at the loss of two lovely afternoon tea venues in Georgia, we are constantly discovering and adding more afternoon teas to our state directories. In particular, last year the Metro Atlanta afternoon tea scene grew with these new tea services:
- Ivy Tea House in Norcross
- Jayida Ché Herbal Tea Spot’s second location at Community Café in East Lake
- Just Add Honey Tea Cafe second location on Atlanta Beltline
- Murphy’s new afternoon tea service in Virginia-Highland
- The Third Space in Old Fourth Ward’s new special tea events
- Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead‘s new afternoon tea service
How can we make sure that these and more afternoon tea venues stay open for business? You know what to do. It’s teatime!
