The Red Brick Tea Room is less than a mile away from the hustle and bustle of US 131, but a world away from wi-fi, fast food and responsibilities. Here every year for the past decade, members of Schoolcraft’s Ladies Association prepare an elegant tea party and invite the public.
The Red Brick Tea Room, formally known as the Ladies Library Building at 330 N. Centre Street, was built in 1896 and has remained virtually unchanged since then. On September 16, the tea committee will open the doors for two tea parties, the first at 11 a.m. the second starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 and sell out quickly.
Partygoers are seated in tables of four each with three courses of breads, savories, and sweets served on fine china. Tables will be gloriously decorated with a nursery rhyme theme. When asked if there will be music, Harriet Swartz replied, “We tried that once, but the room is so abuzz with real social media and people enjoying conversations with their tablemates that we deemed it superfluous. Ladies and the occasional gentleman have always enjoyed quiet elegance…fine china, flowers, delicious repast, delightful company and fashionable surroundings. There is no better place to find this than Schoolcraft’s historic Ladies Library building.”
Please call or email Harriett Swartz at (269) 679-5949 or ahjswartz@aol.com to reserve seats. There will be information at schoolcraftladieslibrary.org, but committee members prefer that those wishing reservations contact Harriett. They say they are a little old-fashioned that way and think the public will enjoy spending some time that way, too.