The Cheers of Tea

I walked into the shop today and almost every table was filled with old familiar faces.  I was struck by the moment, and couldn't help saying, "Well!  I see the gang's all here!", which brought a chuckle from the crowd.  Carolyn was there, as she is every day or quite nearly so. And as a testament to her addiction to having lunch with us, she'd broken her finger the night before, and had yet to go to the emergency room to have it looked at!  When we said she should get there right away, she looked at us like we were crazy and said, "Well, I have to have lunch first, don't I?!"  And there was Suzanne who comes about twice a week to escape the dull assisted living lunch menu and swap stories about what's happened lately.  Then there's Barb, who lost her husband recently.  She comes in for relaxation, the camaraderie, and of course, good tea and food.   And last but not least were our favorite mother/daughter duo enjoying one of their frequent summer lunches together since mom's a snow bird and heads south for the winter. 

It really does feel like Cheers sometimes.  We know many customers by name and they each have their own distinct personalities.  They come in and share what's going on in their lives.  On occasion, one of our young college student regulars won't have much money on her, and we let her run a tab.  Another will bring in the new dress to show us that she's just bought for the class reunion.  Where else can you go and be regularly surrounded by supportive friends?  We really are like the Cheers of Tea!  And we love it!