|
Laurie Wenneman and Cathy Russell met in 1996 at Glenridge
Elementary in the Kent School District, where they each worked. Laurie was a school speech-language pathologist
and Cathy worked in the school office. Having similar senses of humor and social personalities, they hit
it off right away. Their friendship was cemented when Cathy helped Laurie with the confounded laminating
machine as they assembled a very special birthday book of student artwork that Laurie managed to give to her then favorite
Nascar driver, Kyle Petty, in 1997. When Cathy relocated to a different school, she and Laurie had to actually
plan time to see each other outside of the work setting. That’s how they started their adventures
in tea!
Using teamap.com as their guide, they visited as many tea rooms as they could
during their school breaks. They also started hosting their own tea parties and had a blast planning and
preparing menus, decorations, and guest lists. Oh, and the actual tea parties were fun, too!
They received lots of compliments and encouragement from friends to start their own tea room. Just after Christmas in 2006, they discovered a quaint little tea room for
sale in Old Town Tacoma. They fell in love with the neighborhood of Old Town and saw potential in the tea
room. It was a huge decision that they did not make lightly. The opportunity to have
their own tea room and do what they had been “sort of dreaming about” presented itself and they did not want to
regret not taking it and be left with wondering, “What would have happened if …?” Here they are now, two years later, having a ball with no regrets!
|
|
 |
|
Laurie's Story
Specializing in front of the house duties, marketing, retailing, website, promotions, bookkeeping, and in her spare time ...
About me: I was born in Georgia and have pretty much been a jet-setter since birth. Having
lived in Georgia, Germany, Oklahoma, and the Philippines, I finally settled in and became a Washingtonian during my high school
years. My family still lives in Renton, but my husband, Wayne (a Buffalo, New York native), and I
have a wonderful home with three cats in Auburn. We still love to travel—Hawaii, England, Victoria
BC -- and we have hopes for visiting Australia and New Orleans in the future.
|
|
|
Cathy's Story
Specializing in being Chef Extraordinaire, menu planning,
grocery shopping, and, not to mention, head bottle washer!
About me: I was born in Hoquiam, Washington and have lived in western Washington ever since. I am married
to a Northern Irishman so, of course, I have to love tea! I have two grown children.
My husband and I live in Renton. I love to cook, travel, and read (not necessarily in that order).
I like to experiment with new recipes. If you have a favorite, and would like to see it added to
the tea room repertoire, let me know.
|
|
|
|
|
