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Success brewing for Alison’s new venture

Alison Harnett is hoping to brew up success with the launch of a new tea room in the heart of Durham City.

The 41-year-old, from Fishburn, County Durham, is currently converting the former Robinson Estate Agents building on Elvet Bridge, into the Tealicious Tea room, with an opening planned for the end of August.

Alison said: “2012 has been a very British year with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, quickly followed by the Olympics, and what better way is there to celebrate our Britishness, than with a good cup of tea and a slice of delicious cake.”

The building, which Alison has dated back to the mid 1860s, will feature a tea room on the ground floor, with extra seating on the first floor, with the option for tea drinkers who want a more private afternoon tea, to book their table in advance.

The venture is a dream come true for Alison, who has spent the past 20 years working with children with special needs for Durham County Council, until redundancy in 2011 gave her the chance to change the direction of her career.

She said: “For years I have dreamt of owning my own tea room. In 2011, the year I turned 40, I was offered redundancy from Durham County Council and decided it was time for a change. I reasoned that if life serves you lemons, why not make lemon drizzle cake!

“It was also the right time in my personal life. My youngest son was starting secondary school in Durham and my daughters are both older, so there was no need for a stay-at-home mum anymore.”

But once Alison had made the decision, it wasn’t plain sailing, as she suffered a few setbacks in the search for the right property.

She said: “I’ve searched for the right location over the past year. I had a few setbacks, being beaten to some properties by more well established businesses. However, when I eventually found 88 Elvet Bridge, I realised it was the perfect place to start my new enterprise.”

Alison has taken a seven-year lease on the property, with a break clause after two years. She has sourced furniture for the tea room from other local businesses, and plans to source as many of her ingredients from local suppliers.

Alison was supported in her search by Marek Tokarski and Victoria Moodie, business advisers at City of Durham and Chester-le-Street Enterprise Agency, who also provided support and advice to get the business venture of the ground. Alison also received help and advice from business coach Carol Sanderson at the Five Lamps enterprise charity in Thornaby.

Marek Tokarski said: “Alison has been a fantastic person to work with and to see her finally achieve her dream of running a tea room in Durham City has been a real pleasure. With her enthusiasm and dedication to her business, and to serving a great cup of real tea, I’m sure she’ll make it a great success.”

While Durham has no shortage of cafes and eating places, Alison hopes that by modelling her enterprise on more upmarket tea rooms, like those found in towns and cities such as York, Northallerton and Harrogate, she will be offering something different to visitors to Durham.

She said: “I’m offering 17 different blends of tea, all of which I’ve blended with the help of master tea blender Alex Probyn, to ensure that Tealicious teas are unique to us. I’ll also be offering the chance for visitors, who’ve enjoyed their tea, to buy our blended teas to take home.”

And Alison doesn’t intend to stop there. She said: “Once we’re well established I’m considering offering our visitors the chance to buy tea online, but that’s something for the future at the moment.”

“As well as tea, there will, of course, be a selection of freshly-baked cakes, made on the premises, along with the option to purchase freshly-made sandwiches and soup,” added Alison. “Afternoon tea will be served on traditional three-tiered cake stands, while Cafetieres of Coffee will also be available for those who prefer coffee to tea.

“The cakes, sandwiches and soups will be made on the premises, but we don’t plan to offer full meals,” said Alison. “There’s plenty of choice for people wanting to eat out in Durham already.”

She added: “The emphasis will very much be on a friendly, relaxed environment in which visitors can savour a delicious cup of tea, served in fine bone china, alongside freshly baked cakes. The staff will all wear floral dresses, with white aprons, which will hopefully add to the experience.”

Alison hopes eventually to employ five staff, including herself, although some of these will include members of her family on a part-time basis.

Alison said: “Without the support of my family, including my husband Martin, our three marvellous children, and my parents, I really would have struggled to get Tealicious ready for business. They have helped in so many ways, from picking up a paint brush to help with the decorating, to simple morale support.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jonathan Jones .

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