Help Teaberry's Reopen Their Doors

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Sara & Susan Peterson

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Newsletter October 10, 2024

"Dear loyal patrons & treasured friends,

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.

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.

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.

As a small family-owned & 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.

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.

Let us explain…

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.

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.

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.

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 & 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 & exciting food in beautiful surroundings.

Thank you for hearing us out. It was time to share."