Wednesday, Oct, 24th, was a beautiful, 79 degree, sunny, Indian Summer day in Southeastern Michigan - much too pretty to stay indoors. So I drove over to the quaint City of Berkley - a distance of about 15 miles from my house. I could easily spend an entire day in Berkley browsing in their gift shops and antique stores, and having tea in a tea room or restaurant that I just learned serves Afternoon Tea every Tuesday [which definitely calls for a return visit in the very near future].
The first place I stopped was KrisTea's - a wonderful shoppe! If I remember the history correctly, the owner, Kristy, is a retired registered nurse, who always wanted to open a gift shoppe of her own. So throughout her nursing career she acquired merchandise, and stored it in the basement of her home. When she retired, she had enough stock to open her doors. KrisTea's is open Tuesday - Saturday.
As you can see from the signage on the windows, KrisTea's sells vintage and new home decor, unique gifts, fine teas, and tea accessories. Definitely my kind of place!
The entrance
KrisTea's is not a tea room per se, but the shoppe sells a variety of Harney & Sons Fine Teas as well as custom blends by one of the employees named, Mary. A cup of freshly brewed tea and a scone is offered FREE to all customers. What amazing customer service! Below is a photo of the tea prep area.
Below is the cup of tea and scone that I was served during my visit. It's such a lovely treat and "pick-me-up" for shoppers. Although I have never attended any [yet], KrisTea's hosts Tea Tastings and Lunch on select dates and times.
Retail tea section
Don't you love this tea-themed sampler? It's not for sale even though it could have been sold many times over [trust me, I asked!].
This is the linen room - vintage tablecloths, bedspreads, doilies, aprons, etc. are all neatly arranged for easy viewing.
Displays throughout the shoppe.
Meet Mary, the Tea Blender... She knows tea, and is delightful to talk to. She sells her teas at Detroit Eastern Market, and three other local Farmer's Market. She's one busy lady!
I parked my car behind the shoppe, and smiled when I noticed KrisTea's teapot awning over the rear entrance door. What a charming shoppe! I highly recommend it.
And what did I purchase while visiting KrisTea's [because it's almost impossible to leave without finding something you can't live without ;-)] ?
A Spode Blue Room Collection teacup titled "Girl at Well," first introduced in 1822. My blue transferware collection is growing!
What a fun place to visit! I could go for a cup of hot tea and a scone about now. (I'm about to go make some tea, the scone will have to wait!) That is a beautiful shop, and I'm sure I could have found many things to bring home with me. Love your blue/white teacup and saucer, a nice addition to your collection. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction while reading this post and looking at the photos was: ooh... aah... oh, nice. Beautiful teacup and a fun day out, Phyllis!
ReplyDeleteNow that is MY kind of shop! How very smart to offer tea and a scone to customers. Never heard of that before, but I sure do like it! That's a very pretty blue teacup you found, too, and a great addition to your collection. Now I'm off to look for a cross-stitch pattern for that tea sampler you saw!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely, lovely shop. It would be one I would enjoy visiting. The teacup is also wonderful, lucky you!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a place I could get lost in for hours!
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