Tea rooms in southeast Minnesota cultivate a tradition
Fall is a great season for cultivating the tradition of afternoon tea. With its popularity soaring as a healthful and inexpensive beverage, now is the time to head into a tea room for a cup of pleasure.
What exactly is a tea room? In my visits throughout the area, I have found that a tea room is a place where you can relax and sit down in a quiet atmosphere. Each owner capitalizes on his or her assets to make the tea room unique.
Tea rooms can be found in most every kind of building imaginable, from old banks and barns to Victorian and cottage-style homes. Some are incorporating gift shops, as well.
“Walk through. You may find home decor, cookbooks, fine gourmet coffees, teas, fresh homemade fudge and peanut brittle, antiques and collectibles and a women’s boutique that includes jewelry, scarves, purses and accessories,” says Maxine VandeWalker, owner of the Bank Gift Haus & Margaret’s Tea Room, in the oldest building in Wykoff.
Sharon Vreemon, owner of the Victorian Lace Tea Room in St. Charles, says tea rooms are more popular among women, but the appeal is widening to include men.
“The Victorian decor and tea rooms seem to appeal more to women,” Vreemon said, noting that 85 percent of her clientele is women. “Although, men are frequenting tea rooms.”
Men are finding the pleasure of afternoon tea, a cappuccino or a latte in one of the newly acclaimed coffee shops, such as the Vintage Light Coffee and Tea House in Rochester, which is why more tea rooms are changing their name from a tea room to a coffee house or a cafe but still have tea on their menus.
The Tale of Two Sisters Tea Room in Red Wing is also a Victorian tea room open since September 1998.
