Abiding in the Vine Tearoom

Yesterday my friend, Linda, and I went on a day trip to Owosso, Mi - a small city about 82 miles northwest of where I live.  Their 2016 population is listed as 14,670.  We had heard about Abiding in the Vine tearoom, and mentioned several times that we wanted to visit, but it didn't happen until yesterday. 

It was an unusually warm November day [60 degrees], with breezy, clear skies, so we were happy to shed our cumbersome winter coats.

As we drove down Main Street in downtown Owosso, we saw a phone booth - a very unusual sight in today's modern technological world of iphones.  I doubt it's still functional, but it adds to the charm of this very quaint city.

Abiding in the Vine has been open for four years, and Owosso is the perfect city for it.  Its name is taken from Scripture - John 15, vs. 1-8 where Jesus tells His disciples [and us] that He is the Vine, and they [we] are the branches, and if we abide in Him we will bear Christian fruit [love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control] in our lives.  

[Linda]

[Me]

We had reservations for noon, and when we arrived a Red Hat gathering was in progress as well as small groupings like ours.  Patrons came and went while we were there, so it's a popular spot, and beautifully decorated for Christmas.

I loved the old building with its original brick walls, tin ceiling, and small vignettes.

~ Our table ~

~ Our servers were McKayla [L] and Michele [R] ~

~ Loved their high vase centerpieces that didn't obstruct our view. ~

They have a large selection of Metropolitan Teas to choose from, and Linda and I both ordered a pot of Cranberry Orange black tea.  Our teapots had removeable infuser baskets for steeping the loose leaves in.  On the table was a teabag caddy to set the infuser basket on when it was removed from the teapot.  They do it right at this tearoom!

Linda and I ordered the "Full Tea" for only $15 [excluding tax and gratuity].  You can't beat that price anywhere!

We had a choice of salad or soup with our tea.  Linda got a salad, and I got a cup of Tomato Basil soup.  It was yummy!

Below is the picture our server [Michele] took to post on their Facebook page.

We each got our own crystal tiered server with savories, a Pumpkin Scone with mock Devonshire cream, and six desserts.   There were two open-faced Cucumber sandwiches on White Bread rounds, two Ham and Cheese rectangle finger sandwiches on Pumpernickel Bread, garnished with an Olive and Cherry Tomato, a Phylo cup of Egg Salad, and a slice of Quiche.  I forgot to take a close-up of my individual plate.  Sorry!

I'm trying to watch calories since Thanksgiving, so I only ate the Lemon Bar and French Macaron, and had the rest boxed to bring home to my hubby.

Picture of the lovely DYI glass tiered servers below.  Wouldn't it be cute in the center of a table with a teapot on top, scones on the middle plate, and teacups and saucers surrounding it on the bottom.  I might attempt it for my next Bible study since my menu and tablescape is always simple.

They have a small retail area, and I'll post tomorrow what I purchased.  When we left the tearoom we walked around the quaint downtown area of Owosso, and did some shopping.  The city even has a dime store - I haven't seen a dime store in YEARS!  [Tomorrow's post too.]

There were hats available for those who wanted to wear one during teatime.  The sign on the brick wall says, "Girls just wanna have fun!"

~ Another vignette near the restrooms. ~

By the time we left, the tearoom had cleared out considerably so I was able to take a picture without being too intrusive.  

This is a lovely tearoom and I highly recommend it for local readers.  Make a day trip to Owosso, and have lunch at Abiding in the Vine, and spend the rest of the day shopping like Linda and I did.  You'll return home feeling it was a beautiful day, and time well spent!  We will definitely do a return visit.

To be continued...