Tabitha’s Tea is a family affair for owner Lori Mincey.
The tea room, in the Brandon Crossroads shopping center, at 2052 Badlands Drive, is a joint venture for Mincey and her mom, Barbara, and sister, Gloria.
All three have a lifelong love of tea rooms and have visited similar businesses across the state. When the chance came to create their own tea room, they jumped at the chance.
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Tabitha’s Tea opened May 24. The store is named after Mincey’s daughter, who also lends a hand at the store.
Mincey took time out to talk to Brandon Patch about her business:
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Why a tea room?
“My family has always visited tea rooms and we started making our own cakes and tea. People started asking us for catering so we decided to do a joint effort with my mom, sister and I.”
What about the competition?
“There are a couple of other tea rooms in Brandon. There are also a few in Orlando and Mount Dora. It’s one of those things that you don’t know about unless you are looking for it.”
What’s different about Tabitha’s?
“We are a Victorian-style tea room. We follow English tradition with fine bone china and a huge selection of the best teas.’
Scones are an important part of an English tea. Where do you get yours?
“My mom bakes the scones every day fresh. There are very much like you would find in England. We even make our own Devonshire cream for the scones. Everything here is made fresh daily.”
What makes you stand out?
“We are upscale with fine tea ware, linen and chandeliers. The typical tea room sometimes has a mix of china but ours all matches. We are upscale but at the same time we are reasonably priced.”
How has the reception been so far?
“Everyone is in love with this place. We have gotten lots of business by word of mouth. Customers come in and rave about the scones and then tell others and come back. It’s a very relaxing atmosphere – we have an instrumental guitarist on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. – and the customers love the concept. I always see repeat customers and I have gotten to know customers on a first-name basis. It’s a little more personal than a chain restaurant.”