For nearly two decades, tea drinkers from nine to 90 years old have headed to Teaberry's Tea Room at 2 Main St. in Flemington for afternoon tea parties and comfort fare.
But on Aug. 28, that will come to an end for more than six months as Teaberry's serves its final lunch before moving a half-mile down the block.
However, there’s no need for Teaberry's fans to worry, said owners and mother-and-daughter duo Susan and Sara Peterson.
The colorful, quaint tearoom located inside a three-story Victorian home will both appear and serve exactly as it has once it relocates to 171 Main St.
“We just feel that we are ready,” said Susan. “Our lease was up, so it was a good time for us to make the change and buy our own building. Financially, it makes a lot of sense.”
In the meantime, customers can purchase items from Teaberry’s cash-only moving sale in the carriage house and on the patio, which is being held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 26-28, Sept. 16-18, and Sept. 23-25. New items are being added each week as Susan and Sara clean out Teaberry’s storage space. “It’s a little like our boutique and tea room garage sale combined,” they said on Teaberry’s Facebook page.
The new space, a 3,400-square-foot home that dates to 1890, has been a law office for 30 years. Through its tenure, it’s been a bank, a private residence and a doll museum and doll hospital.
“A lot of customers that I’ve told where we’re moving to remember going there as little girls,” said Sara. “While the building is structurally sound, it’s not as ‘cute’ now as we would like, so we are going to gussy it up a bit and make it look more Victorian.”
Renovations will take place both inside and outside, including adding a kitchen, stairs and powder room, and doing cosmetic work, said Susan. Once it’s complete in the spring, hopefully March, said Sara, it will look almost exactly like the existing Teaberry’s, down to the same themed rooms and displayed tea sets and other memorabilia.
The rooms inside the 4,000-square-foot current space include the yellow Salon room with crystal chandeliers; the pink and green Garden Room with floral china; the gold Regency Room with English royal family china; the pink and black French room with Limoges china; the Greenwood Room with fruit china; and the red Teaberry Room that pays homage to China.
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In the new space, two of the rooms will be combined, so the tea room will have five rooms instead of six.
“People seem very nervous that we will be changing the de?cor, but everything that we have up is going to come with us and be displayed. Everything will feel the same inside,” said Sara. “Customers just want to make sure that when they enter, it’s the same experience. And it will be,” continued Susan.
One of the few changes is that the new space will be able to seat 25 people with its larger porch.
“171 Main St. has a deep, wide porch with a beautiful view of some of the magnificent upkept Victorians and big trees,” said Sara.
The current space can seat about 115 people inside and outside, and the new space will be about to seat about 100 people inside and outside.
However, diners will eat the same comfort foods at the new space, as chef Diego Sanchez, who has been Teaberry’s head chef since its first day of business, will remain. Each week, menus will continue to change and use seasonal ingredients, just like they do now.
“The food will be the same and I think at the end of the day, that’s why people come. It’s pretty, but they love the food,” said Sara. “The food has always been the most important thing, but the atmosphere doesn’t hurt,” continued Susan, who is Teaberry's executive chef and developed the tea room's recipes.
The former gift shop will make somewhat of a return to the new space. Tea pots, loose tea, tea balls, tea cozies and other items will be sold in the new space’s entryway, which is wider than that of the current space, said Susan.
Online reservations will also be available in the new space, a first for Teaberry’s.
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“We are going to bring ourselves a little bit into the twenty-first century and get a computer system for the first time,” said Sara. “We are excited to keep our brand but make some decisions that will be smart for us in the long run.”
Go: 2 Main St., Flemington; 908-788-1010, teaberrys.com. Last day at current location is Aug. 28.
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
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