<div>Lastest &amp; Final Update
</div>
<div>December 21, 2025
</div>
<div>Season’s Greetings from 171 Main Street!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We are thoroughly in the swing of the holidays and really enjoying the new tea room!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you have visited us since our soft opening on October 24th or our grand re-opening on November 14th, we hope you had a marvelous time!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Seeing you all again after the 2 year hiatus has been a gift.
</div>
<div>…
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We are very booked for the rest of the year (THANK YOU!) but can’t wait to see you in 2026. Plan ahead with us and give yourself something to look forward to by booking a reservation on our website : <a href="https://www.teaberrys.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.teaberrys.com.</a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Wishing this phenomenal community a joyful, beautiful &amp; healthy holiday.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Love,
</div>
<div>Sara &amp; Susan
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Update August 15, 2025
</div>
<div>Hello, all:
</div>
<div>It’s been two very hard weeks for us at 171 Main but we wanted to write you and formally invite you to our Labor Day parking lot estate sale, 8/30 and 8/31, from 10am to 4pm. We will be selling furniture and wares that did not make the cut, selling gift certificates and hopefully giving quick tours.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Earlier this month, passing our final electrical and plumbing inspections proved to be very straight forward. We were ecstatic and feeling the energy moving us towards the finish line. Unfortunately, since then we have been blown away at the complexities in order to pass our fire inspection. Our hood engineer and the fire marshal were not seeing eye to eye and due to a worn off sticker on our hood (from the last location), we will need to alter the apparatus with a custom metal piece involving welding. It’s been CHAOS. Next week hopefully we can pass our alarm rough inspection. But, time will tell!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We are exhausted and wish we had an opening date for you all but the red tape continues to plague us.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Hope to see you Labor Day Weekend.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for your patience,
</div>
<div>Sara &amp; Susan
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Update June 27, 2025
</div>
<div>Hello, everyone!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We miss you.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>171 Main Street has certainly become a place we are ecstatic to spend time at and we can’t wait to share it with you all soon.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Over these last many very hot and wet days, we have witnessed tremendous leaps at our new tea room. The beautification period is officially in full swing. A very skilled local stone mason made many repairs all over our property and on our brick home. Our yard got a full clean up by a landscaping crew and we are about to finish our plantings. Then our walk in refrigerator returned after being stored for nearly 2 years at a nearby towing yard. She is on and running as we type this! Due to a tricky last minute change, our plumber and electrician are tweaking final adjustments in the kitchen. All of our windows got cleaned, too! Tables have been moved in and placed. Curtains are being hung shortly by a trusted decorator that we have used at our last two locations as well. Soon, we will be curating our hutches filled with fine china and exquisite collectibles. Flower pots are now cascading down our stone steps towards Main Street. Optimism is in the air…
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>It is truly emotional watching all the pieces fall into place. We are incredibly happy to be able to bring our beloved business back for all to enjoy.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Of course, it’s not over until it’s over … the renovation and re-opening process that is. We have many staff to hire, many orders to place, a new computer system to learn, etc., etc., etc. Not to mention the recipe testing to come! For example, one addition that we are bringing to the table is savory scones! We have a mouth-watering list of possibilities to vet. So, each day we will offer 4 flavors of our delectable scones - plain (vanilla), a fruited variety, something sweet like butterscotch for example and then our adventurous new savory batch. Think … roasted shallot gruyere &amp; thyme / cheddar apple &amp; onion/ roasted garlic herb &amp; asiago. Would be fantastic alongside one of our homemade soups.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>So, with that all being said, two items we will leave you with:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>First, if you wish to be amongst the over 620 generous contributors to our Go Fund Me page, we would be above and beyond grateful. These funds will help us cross the finish line and really ‘WOW’ you when you come for tea or lunch. It is incredible to us that we have raised nearly $65,000 from our community. We will never forget this!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Be on the lookout for an exclusive ‘thank you’ gift to all who have donated - will be sent by email!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Secondly, if you would like to work with us, please email Sara to schedule an interview. We need warm &amp; bright individuals who are passionate about the customer experience based on old fashioned hospitality. Our openings include servers, bussers, food runners, prep cooks &amp; more.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We truly thank you for following along on this journey, checking in continually, &amp; for your excitement.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The best is yet to come!!!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>♥️,
</div>
<div>Sara &amp; Susan
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Update March 10, 2025
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>It has been a couple months since we have reached out, so we wanted to provide an update. These last few weeks were exciting for us as we passed our electrical, plumbing and building inspections. Our commercial hood then got installed. After that, drywall began and we are now starting to paint inside!! You can really see that this “new” 1860’s Italianate structure of ours will indeed become Teaberry’s. We are thrilled! Our classic color schemes and rich decor are going to feel like a big hug to you all, we are sure of that! You can see some pictures of our progress below.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>However, because of our particular change of use situation at this property, we still have many hurdles to overcome. This is including, but not limited to… implementing our walk-in refrigerator, placing a generator, adding many required trees &amp; plantings, masonry work, exterior carpentry, etc. Of course while we keep moving forward, we have to continue to store our things and pay our mortgage plus insurance. The invoices keep rolling in on this project. But we could not have possibly moved to a strip mall!!! So is our dilemma.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We are truly in awe of the support we have gotten thus far on our crowdfunding page. Both of us are immensely grateful for the outstanding generosity. There have been 508 donations and we are over a third of the way to our goal.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>THANK YOU SO MUCH.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The end is definitely in sight, but any support now certainly will be put to good use as we begin an extensive outside clean up and revamp. We also must move our things back onto the property and begin the official re-opening process on site. Our anticipated opening is June.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>With gratitude, always:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Sara &amp; Susan
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>***************************
</div>
<div>As many of you already know, Teaberry’s weathered a very stressful start to 2023 when the “younger generation” took over as our landlord. Our location at 2 Main Street, where we operated our tea room since 2009, was being offered to us at a firm sale price of 1.5 million and we were not offered an option to extend our lease. Since no appraisals ever substantiated that price, it is sad to say that the building is still on the market for half of that amount two years later.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In order to keep our beloved tea room viable, we bravely ventured forth as first-time commercial property owners, excited to finally control our own fate. In September 2023, Teaberry’s bought an older commercially zoned building in Flemington at 171 Main Street. However, this venture has proven to be a tedious and winding road that has honestly bordered on unbearable at times - both monetarily and unfortunately, psychologically. It soon became clear that we had entered into an exorbitantly costly situation due to unforeseen circumstances pertinent to codes, ordinances and the use of downtown historic buildings in Flemington. Nearly all of our savings has been used ahead of renovations and now we find ourselves short just as we finally got building permits on November 8th.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>After writing to our customers on October 10th (read newsletter below) and admitting that our move has been a struggle, we have been positively overwhelmed with support. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us with loving encouragement. Quite unexpectedly, we have received hundreds of suggestions to create a Teaberry’s GoFundMe. While it is certainly far from our first choice to start a crowdfunding page, in order to make our forever home of 171 Main into the stunning tea room you all know and miss… we are going to give it a try. Especially now since we have attempted to secure a bank loan but are considered unemployed currently and do not qualify.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Please consider donating to our mission so that Teaberry’s Tea Room can continue to exist in these extremely challenging times where many small businesses are closing all around us. We adore our unique restaurant and miss it terribly. We simply wish to be able to offer our lovely customers the same experience they have come to know over the past 20 years.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
</div>
<div>Sara &amp; Susan Peterson
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>***************************
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Newsletter October 10, 2024
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"Dear loyal patrons &amp; treasured friends,
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>First and foremost, we miss welcoming you into our old-world atmosphere and serving you the tea times and lunches that you have come to love and depend on since 2005.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Apologies for having been quiet lately. 2024 has been quite a strange and unpredictable time thus far. It is hard to believe that we left 2 Main Street almost exactly a year ago.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We understand why there have been countless inquiries full of worry and speculation for many months now. As a result, both of us feel that it is time to share some insight on our journey over the past year and a half. The essence of this note will likely explain why this transition has been twice as expensive as we expected and will take more than double the time we had hoped.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As a small family-owned &amp; woman-run business, we have come to realize that this world is no longer truly supportive of our circumstances, livelihood, and entire mission. As you know, we are not a commercial restaurant group with immense and ever-growing resources. The surprises and costs that have come and continue to come around every corner while trying to put our restaurant into a historic building (previously an office) are frustrating and over the top.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>When we purchased 171 Main, after looking at real estate for a year, the property was listed as in the downtown business district, with a restaurant as an option. Turns out, we were not privy to all the hidden expenses associated with changing from an office use to our intended approved use.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Let us explain…
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>It cost an astronomical amount of money and time to obtain a variance for our walk-in refrigerator to be on our property. Additionally, we have received an enormous bill for water and sewer “connection fees” when we are already connected. Later it was made clear that this money would be reserved for town wide capital improvements and held in escrow! Quite frustrating news to receive when you are trying to open your doors as a veteran destination business in a building you already own! There is no debate regarding these fees though since paying this bill is a requirement to obtain building permits. Lastly, our architect had to completely redo our plans just a couple months ago when we got blindsided by the news that we needed a six figure four story indoor sprinkler system to be retrofitted to our 1800s home, which involved off site excavation to adjust the water main.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>All of the above has been a surprise to us, as we did not encounter these unforeseen expenses at either of our last two locations - both of which were a similar change of use situation.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>While we had a significant chunk of money saved and set aside for this transition, and have secured a marvelous investor (an angel if you will), we have had to become increasingly resourceful and creative - with hopes it will not dilute our beloved and meticulously curated brand that we are proud to say has existed for nearly two decades.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>It is absolutely depressing to look back at all of these happenings. We truly feel like we are fighting an uphill battle in a world of chain restaurants, corporate hospitality groups &amp; big box stores. We have not lost hope though! We want to do our new Teaberry’s location justice and resume our role as your go-to for delicious, fresh &amp; exciting food in beautiful surroundings.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for hearing us out. It was time to share."
</div>

Anonymous

Elsie Echevarria

Andrea Beasty

Holly A. Papp

Help Teaberry's Reopen Their Doors

Still $69,500 to go. Help us build momentum.