Meet Melissa Harlan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Harlan. 

Hi Melissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I was inspired by the experience of Afternoon Tea on a trip to London with my family in 2019. I knew I was going to be leaving my corporate job and didn’t know what I wanted to do for my next chapter. I decided I wanted to bring the Afternoon Tea experience to my own neighborhood. The last 2 years have been a tremendous learning experience. I have never owned a business before but was confident that I could figure out how to get it up and running. Afternoon Tea is such a fun way to spend time with your favorite people and I love helping create memories for our guests. I designed Drink Me! Tea Room with social media in mind so we have fun backdrops to take photos as well. Social Media has been the best marketing tool and our customer base has expanded over the last year to a point that we now require reservations. Additionally, I am both gluten-free and plant based, and wanted to be sure the food we create is the same. I wanted to make Drink Me! Tea room a place that I could come to enjoy Afternoon Tea and not feel like I was missing out on any of the experience due to my food challenges. Each day is still a tremendous learning process, but it’s been very rewarding.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We opened in July 2020, so that was not the easiest time to open a new business. I just had to keep moving forward, get the business up and running and hope for the best! We also had a flood shortly after opening, but it’s all been a great learning experience. I feel that I’ve leveled up my problem-solving skills over the past 2 years for sure!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We specialize in Traditional Afternoon Tea with a modern twist, but we focus on providing an outstanding customer experience. All of our food and tea is plant-based and gluten-free, so we are very allergy-friendly. Most of us with food allergies usually don’t get the same experience as others when it comes to food. I wanted to be sure everyone can experience a full Afternoon Tea regardless of food challenges. However, I’m most proud that Drink Me! Tea Room is a fun place to spend time with your favorite people and reconnect.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Having a clear vision and the persistence to stay on course to make that vision a reality has been a great lesson. Learn from mistakes and keep moving forward is also an important one. I think that I’ve also learned that people cherish genuine connections with others and it’s very rewarding to make those connections with our guests.

Contact Info:

• Email: contactus@drinkmetearoom.com
• Website: www.drinkmetearoom.com
• Instagram: @drinkmetearoom
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkmetearoom

Image Credits
Eric & Gizel Bahlman