By: Shawn Phillips
Twenty-five years ago, Eve Furlong Mickendrow found herself a newly divorced, single mother of two and needing to make money to support her family. Eve decided to start a tea room like those in Scotland. It was a risky endeavor. While she had come from an entrepreneurial family and had a business degree, Eve did not have restaurant business experience. She was not a chef. But she knew her priority was to be there with her children in the morning before they went to school and to be there to greet them in the afternoon. She recruited a waitress and started on a shoestring. Eve shopped, cooked and cleaned, and over time she created a landmark in Summerville, the Time Well Spent Tea Room.
Housed in a home built in the 1800s with a second home from the same era on the property used for children’s parties, Time Well Spent has become a multi-generational institution. Many women recall children’s tea parties there when they were young. Others have fond memories of weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, book club meetings, bridge club meetings or even a calming, luxurious lunch catching up with a friend. Some come every day for the delicious signature dishes: popovers, chicken salad, quiches, casseroles and desserts. The quirky atmosphere with Victorian touches and a gift shop delight the eyes. But the real secret behind the success has been Eve’s motto: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Clearly, she has loved her customers and the feeling has been mutual.
Eve’s children, Matthew and Rachel, are now grown and have lives of their own. Her sister and elderly mother have moved to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Eve’s sister suggested that Eve and her new husband move to Mexico and open a bed and breakfast. It took about five minutes for Eve to decide to sell her tea room and move. But what would happen to her 25-year legacy? Eve’s desire was for the tea room to continue with someone who would love it as much as she did.
She found us. Thirty-five years ago, as Bob and I were falling in love, our favorite place in Santa Cruz, California, was a bookshop with a tea room in the back. It became a long-standing dream to create a place like this, but fate had other plans. Until now. Recently we were searching for property to invest in when we came across the listing for Time Well Spent. Like Eve in the beginning, we had no restaurant experience and were not chefs. But we fell in love with the tea room and decided it had tremendous possibilities. Despite our fear, we moved ahead.
Today the tea room is a family-run business. Taylor Stanley, our daughter-in-law, and her sister-friend Nicole Paul are co-directors. As professional makeup artists, they bring their creative talents to every aspect of the restaurant, treasuring the traditions while at the same time adding an innovative approach. Loyal customers have embraced the warmth and charm of these women while sometimes tearfully exclaiming how grateful they are that the tea room will survive. Meanwhile, our son (and Taylor’s husband) Brian Wilson and his friend (and Nicole’s husband) Adam Paul have been working hard to renovate the two old homes and the grounds. Their dream is to blend the traditional with a more modern touch to create an environment that will accommodate and encourage larger events.
Our family has exciting plans. It is important to us to retain the charm of what Eve built and to add to it. While we will maintain our daily lunches and tea parties, we want to expand. We want to create a place where people can celebrate key events in their lives, including bridal showers, birthdays, baby showers, wedding rehearsals and of course weddings. We want to be a “love mark” in the community. We have reached out to local artists to showcase their art on a rotating basis. Writers (especially those with tea room themes such as the tea room mysteries) have been contacted to do readings and signings. We are reaching out to corporations to discuss hosting their events. The beautiful backyard with a magical 900-year-old oak tree is being landscaped to encourage outdoor weddings and other large events up to 100 guests.
In August, we are expanding hours so the community will have another option for a Sunday brunch. We are planning mystery parties and date nights. We will have makeup parties with professionals to teach women some tips. We are talking about potentially having a bridal shop and possibly a beauty salon in the front house. Recently we partnered with Irene Rose, owner of Once Upon a Party, to increase our ability to hold children’s parties. The future for Time Well Spent Tea Room is rosy, and we look forward to continuing and expanding Eve’s legacy.
Time Well Spent Tea Room is located at 211 Stallsville Loop Rd., Summerville. Time Well Spent is open for lunch daily Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and reserved afternoon tea from Thursday through Saturday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Effective August 1 we will be opening on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (843) 875-2408 or visit ThePerfectPartyPlace.info. Questions or comments? Visit us on Facebook at the Time Well Spent Tea Room page or send us an email at timewellspentevents@gmail.com.
Shawn says her goal in life is to be healthy, happy, and help others. Like most women she wears many hats – realtor, small business owner, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She loves to read, cook, garden, contemplate the meaning of life, and laugh. Like Shawn on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ShawnPhillipsDreamGreat, to reach her directly call or text her at 843-471-7315 or shawn-phillips.kw.com or check out her blog at:shawnphillipsblog.wordpress.com