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<\/a>For the unfamiliar, they hope Afternoon Tea at the Village is approachable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt doesn’t have to be like a formal thing, but you can come and hang out with your friends,\u201d Abi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those who want their experience with a little more pomp, they have fancy hats available to borrow. Susan said recently a couple of dads came in wearing baseball caps and soon put on the fancy hats on top of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was quite cute, actually,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the few weeks they\u2019ve been open, Susan and Abi said customers have been excited, but many are still learning how to enjoy afternoon tea the proper English way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abi gave the example of one person who put cream in a fruit tea, which she said is a big mistake because the cream will start to curdle. She also gave the example of someone putting a sweet cream on a savory scone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe’re trying to keep it traditional, but there are little variations,\u201d Susan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of how customers enjoy their tea, Susan and Abi just want people to enjoy themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt’s not just about the food or the tea,\u201d Abi said. \u201cWe want people to come and have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They want their customers to feel special, too, which starts with hand-selected china.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every teapot and cup has its own story. Many were bought second-hand from thrift stores or estate sales, and some were gifted by friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customers can choose which pot their tea is served in, picking the size and design they like the most. Options range from simple floral designs to extravagant teapots that are shaped like houses or dancing rabbits. The simple floral tea pots have been a surprising favorite for customers, Abi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tea cups all have different designs as well, though none are quite as extravagant as the tea pots. Some cups even have mustache guards, a small ledge on the inside of the cup, so gentlemen can enjoy their tea and keep their mustache dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think when you do proper afternoon tea, you kind of feel special,\u201d Susan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Susan\u2019s favorite cup is white with a gold trim and a blue and yellow stripe lined with small pink flowers wrapping around the top. Because of the delicacy of china, everything needs to be hand-washed, which Abi and Susan have said has been a real pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe’ve become way more popular than we ever envisioned. We thought we could be very quiet and we could do this on our own, but right from the very beginning, we realized that that was not the case at all, and so we’ve had to hire quite a few people,\u201d Abi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked about the future of Afternoon Tea at the Village, Susan joked that she wanted to build an empire, but realistically, she said she just wants to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>