Diners go back in time for Tea at Seven Springs

Inside an old, brick building on Marietta Street, fancy hats, flowers, lace and porcelain dishes array the quaint tea house and gift shop.

 

Owner of Tea at Seven Springs Joan Evans said that her tea house not only provides a quiet place for her customers to enjoy soups, salads, sandwiches or a multi-course meal of teatime dainties for lunch, but that she also hopes that they feel special while they dine.

 

“I know that a lot of my life was spent thinking that I was really of no value—that I was not an important person, and God really helped me with that and showed me that he created me, so I was valuable and had a purpose,” said Evans, “And it was right after I had gone through some healing in that way, that I opened the tea room.”

 

According to Evans, her customers are mainly female. Many little girls come with their grandmothers or have tea parties, where the girls can wear dress-up clothes and hats provided by the tea house. Then, Evans instructs them on proper manners and etiquette while dining.

 

“Right now in this society, everybody is busy with so many activities that they forget their little girls, and they come in here and turn into little girls. I love the fact that it is a way to bring that quietness, that girly back into a girl’s life,” said Evans.

 

Evans added that her religious faith influences the way she runs her business.

 

“I believe that when people come into the tea room, they’re getting more than just a meal. I hope they are,” Evans said.

 

Evans explained the opportunity to open a tea room that she had always wanted to do, and the opportunity to do so came unexpectedly.

 

Seven years ago, after visiting a small tea room in the building that is now the Book Worm bookstore, across the street from Tea at Seven Springs, Evans shared with the owners of that restaurant that she wanted to open a tea room someday. According to Evans, when she told the owners of that tea shop this, they told her that they were about to have to close and wanted to help her open a new tea house. That was when Evans and her husband decided to open Tea at Seven Springs.

 

“Times have gotten tough, and I have wanted to close, but I would not want to abort something God wants me to do,” said Evans.

After seven years of operating, the tea house is still serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and special events in the evenings.

 

“It is a place to go back in the time that some of the older people enjoyed and felt that girly feeling,” said Evans.

 

It is no surprise then that Tea at Seven Springs diners are not usually male, according to Evans.

 

“I do wish that we have something more to offer to men, but it would be hard to have the full effect,” said Evans. “I have a lot of men that come in with their wives or their girlfriends because they know that it’s special for them and they earn some points if they’re willing to come in and enjoy it too.”

 

Evans added that the sandwiches and soups they serve would be appealing to everyone, so she is looking forward to being able to catering to a more general customer demographic in the coffee shop.

 

“We’re looking forward to that because that will be something for the men because, you know, we can serve some really good sandwiches, but to get the men to come in here to get the sandwiches is, well, difficult,” Evan said with a laugh.

 

However, next to the future coffee shop, Evans said she hopes to continue to serve tea and a delightfully feminine and uplifting dining experience to her customers that will entice them to come back for more.