Monday, May 19, 2014

Tea by Three's Closing Sale

As King Solomon once said, "To everything there is a season..."  And so it is with Tea by Three tea room in Clinton Township, Michigan. The tea business began in 1999, and I attended my first Garden Tea there in 2002.  I returned for a private tea with my three granddaughters in the summer of 2004.  Even though the girls are 17, 18, and 22 years old now, they still remember their tea party in Cheryl Nix's adorable Teacup Cottage.


~ Our tea party for four ~

[L-R: Marissa, Brianna, Tiffany and Me]

Shortly after that tea party, I retired from a long-held job to pursue my interests in the world of tea.  Cheryl asked if I'd like to help her at Tea by Three, and I was there until 2009. The tea room was always an enjoyable place to be, and I took my camera to almost every tea party to capture the beautiful tablescapes and themes in photographs.  

I remember the grand opening of the Sun Room overlooking the gardens for the 2004 Christmas Tea. In 2005 there was a February "Dreaming of Chocolate Tea," an Easter and Jewish Passover Tea, an elegant dinner on board the Titanic where First Officer Charles Lightoller was portrayed, a special Henry & Clara Ford tea in July, and a Halloween "Mourning Tea" in October.

 [Cheryl Nix, owner]

In 2006 I typed a commemorative cookbook, "A Year of Themed Teas at Tea by Three." It began with an "I Love Lucy" Chocolate Valentine's Tea, and a second Titanic event where the "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" was portrayed. May featured a Mother's Day Apron Tea. Summer provided four beautiful outdoor teas - a Victorian Wedding Tea in the Rose Garden; an American Girl Garden Tea; Fairies in the Garden Tea; and a Lavender and Lace Tea. In the fall the teas resumed in the Sun Room with a Japanese Tea and the portrayal of a Geisha Girl. A Halloween and Christmas Tea finished out the year.


[Me at the Mother's Day Apron Tea]

2007 featured a Gone With the Wind Tea with Scarlett O'Hara, and many other lovely theme teas. Over the past fifteen years Cheryl has created wonderful tea time memories for countless people.

When I read an e-mail announcing her closing sale, I went last Friday.  Unfortunately, the sale had been in progress for three weeks, so many things had already been sold.  Below is the green house where some of the tea wares for sale are displayed.


I purchased a lovely chintz snack set.  It was bargain priced at $8.00 and I wondered why no one else bought it before me, but I'm glad they didn't.   


~ Backstamp ~



I also bought two Titanic items. Who knows, a Titanic theme tea might be in my future.  If not, they're a nice keepsake from Tea by Three's Titanic teas.



Thanks for the memories, Cheryl and Tom.  I wish you much happiness in wherever the "next chapter" takes you!

*  *  *

Today I'm joining Rose Chintz Cottage for a Victoria Day Tea


10 comments:

  1. I'm always sad when a tea room closes! But I'm glad you got these mementos of this special place.

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  2. I'm far far away but it still made Me so sad BUT if I could have been there for the sale,I might have gotten alittle excited

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  3. What wonderful memories! And I love that you have a cookbook commemorating the themed teas there ... what a great resource. And I don't have to tell you that you got a steal on that snack set, which is completely beautiful!

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  4. It must be heartbreaking for the owners to have to make the decision to close... but what a wonderful history you have with this business. Great memories.. and a lovely little chintz set to remember it all. Enjoy!

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  5. It sounds like they had so much going for them with all the special events. What a shame.

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  6. Oh, that would have been fun working in the tea room. All good things come to an end though, don't they? I'm glad you picked up a memento from the lovely tea room.

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  7. That makes me so sad Phyllis. I don't know what the population is of the city where the tea room was but that in my opinion is the #1 criteria for success. Miss Spenser's has broken that rule by being an EVENT tea room but in general it is the rule. Your Clarence set is really lovely. I have some teacups in that brand on my resale table and love them!

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  8. It is always so sad to hear of another tea room closing!

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  9. What an adorable tea cottage! And how sad it is closing! I'm glad you have those lovely memories with your granddaughters and other visits. Your chintz snack set is very pretty and the yellow is lovely for this time of year! Thank you for sharing and joining me for tea.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  10. Sad that the tea cottage is closing but you have so many memories. And that cookbook loaded with memories and recipes.

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