Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Tripp.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Over the years, I have enjoyed traveling to places all over the world where they have tea houses that are a charming quaint place to sit and meet friends, have tea, and enjoy delicious food. I noticed we have nothing like that here in Utah and wanted to bring that experience home with me. I started hosting tea parties for family and friends, and grew quite a large collection of seasonal dish ware and tea pots. My tea parties grew to over 40–50 people at a time and with my growing tea parties grew my tableware collection. I pondered on the idea of opening a brick and mortar teahouse like the ones I visited on my travels but logistically it just didn’t seem to work for me. That’s when the idea of a traveling tea party came to mind. My service centers around helping people create an atmosphere of an English tearoom in their own homes, offices or other spaces. My goal is to create an experience of gathering, elegance, ease, and comfort for my clients. I provide the linens, the tableware, the teapots, the cream and sugar dishes, the food towers, and all that it is needed to create the perfect tearoom ambience. I recommend several different bakeries in the area to cater your tea party food, or I can help you create a buffet of traditional high tea food items that you can acquire on your own locally. I have helped my clients use tea parties to celebrate baby showers, birthday parties, women’s retreats, office staff appreciation days and many many more events.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the challenges in hosting tea parties here in Utah is the concern that tea is against the Word of Wisdom, a religious revelation, many members of the LDS church adhere too. This restriction is applied to black, green, and white tea. With this in mind Traveling Tea Party carries over 30 different varieties of herbal teas, which are all considered organic infusions. I often use lemonade, apple cider, or hot chocolate among other things as my warm base and use herbal tea packets to enhance the flavors. The result is magic in a cup!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Traveling Tea Party?
Traveling Tea Party is a tea party hosting service. Through our many years of hosting private tea parties for family and friends, we have realized that tea parties are a lot of work and often very expensive because of the elaborate dish ware that is needed. Here at Traveling Tea Party we offer a service to help you have a successful and easy tea party for as many as up to 50 or 60 guests for any theme year-round. First we help you plan your special event. Weeks before your party we will come to your location and assess how to help you achieve your tea party hosting goals. Next, we help you with your menu or setting up, catering from a wide range of local bakeries and caterers. On the day of your party, we bring all of the linens and dishes to your home, office or venue. We will even pick up your catering order if needed. We set up the table decor, make and serve the tea and during the duration of your party act as a hostess, so you can sit and enjoy your guests. We clear tables as needed, and at the conclusion of your event we help with cleanup. Our goal is to help you create the perfect tea room atmosphere for your party.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Starting a business that does not serve an essential need is always risky. Tea parties are for fun and they are an experience that most people don’t even know they are missing out on. It is risky to invest in thousands of dollars of themed dish ware and linens in hopes that someone might use them at an event. The pay off is having customers who are thrilled when I can offer exactly what they’re looking for. Listening to the impressed responses of their party guests as they arrive always satisfies any doubts of the risk.
Pricing:
- $12.50 per guest for parties over 20 people.
- $15 per guest for parties under 20 people
- $15 per guest for children’s parties (take home sippy cup available for children under five)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Travelingteaparty.com
- Instagram: @traveling_teaparty
- Facebook: Traveling Tea Party
