Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Bell.
Hi Amanda, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Tea Strings started as an idea born out of mine and my husband’s lived experience in customer care, baking, and creative work, paired with our mutual love of music and instruments. Over time, that idea sharpened into a vision of a space that could hold all of those threads at once: a tea parlor, a small kitchen, and a place where guitars and stories could share the same room. We brought together skills we had been honing for years—recipe development, sourdough and pastry work, menu planning, and front-of-house experience—and began shaping them into a business instead of just a personal craft. Layer by layer, from early planning documents to community research and menu drafts, Tea Strings moved from “someday” to an actual place people could walk into, sit down, and feel at home.
Tea Strings serves as a creative hub where local music, thoughtful food, and neighborly connection intersect. Each service, each menu, and each event is another chance for people to experience the dream started in a little church where two people met and fell in love. The dream, making people feel seen, welcomed, and well-fed.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like any new business starting out, it has not been a completely smooth road, because building Tea Strings meant learning to balance a big, creative vision with real-world limits on time, money, and energy. Along the way we have met those challenges by adapting our hours, offerings, and expectations so the business could remain sustainable and true to our values.
Running a from-scratch tea parlor and guitar shop while doing our own baking, menu development, instrument sourcing, and teaching requires more physical and mental energy than a typical job.
We have mitigated this by limiting open days, using reservations, and being realistic about what we can do without burning out, rather than trying to match a big-chain schedule.
As an independent, family-owned business, there is no deep-pocketed backing, so every equipment purchase, ingredient order, or instrument brought in has to be carefully justified. Instead of overextending, we have grown slowly—adding offerings like special tea parties, music lessons, or new menu items only when they fit our budget and capacity.
Between myself, my husband, my family and dear friends, we carry roles that in a larger operation would be spread across several people: baker, barista, host, teacher, buyer, marketer, and cleaner. We have navigated this by leaning into our individual strengths, sharing the load where possible, and accepting that some things (like elaborate events or constant social media output) must be paced rather than constant.
Pouring our own creativity into the business—recipes, literary-inspired dishes, atmosphere, music—means the stakes feel high when days are slow or things don’t land the way we’d hoped.
We have kept going by returning to our underlying “why”: serving our community, offering something beautiful and intimate, and remembering that depth of connection matters more than volume or trends.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Tea Strings is a working blend of artisan tea service, European–Southern baking, and a small, music-centered shop, and our work sits right at the center of all three. Day to day, we create an intimate, themed experience that feels more like stepping into a story than just stopping by a café.
We plan and execute the food side: baking breads, custard French toast, quiche, fruit medleys, and other breakfast and light-lunch items using from-scratch methods and an industrial kitchen during our public cafe hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
We curate and serve loose-leaf teas, build tea menus, suggest pairings.
And for our reservation tea parties we set tables with attention to etiquette and presentation.
We maintain the guitar shop side—lessons, instruments, and a small retail corner with teapots, teacups, and Loungefly bags.
We Specialize In European–Southern fusion: French, Scottish, British, Greek, and Southern American flavors expressed in weekly pastries, savory pies, soups, brunch items, and bakes that pair beautifully with tea.
We offer Themed tea experiences: multi-course traditional and at times themed Cream Tea services, Afternoon Tea and High Tea services.
We are known for Literary and cinematic themes that shape entire monthly menus, from the tea itself to scones, soups, sandwiches, cookies, and European-style desserts. Beautiful, story-rich menu naming and descriptions that give dishes personality and transport guests into worlds like Austen, Regency London, moody Yorkshire moors, or children’s classics.
We maintain our vision. Most paramount? Keeping Tea Strings small, owner-present, and creative instead of diluting it to fit a chain model or the easiest trends.
What Sets us apart?
The dual identity: guests can sip tea and eat artisan bakes, then step into a guitar-and-instrument space and even book lessons—something very few tea parlors offer.
Narrative-driven hospitality: menus, decor, and events are built around stories, characters, and moods, giving people not just a meal but an experience with a beginning, middle, and ending.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
From my own research it seems to me that in the next 5–10 years, tea and café culture are moving even further toward wellness-focused, experience-driven spaces with strong aesthetics and storytelling, which aligns closely with what Tea Strings already does. As that happens, Tea Strings plans to keep leaning into trendy recipes, décor, and healthy ingredients while holding onto flavor profiles and traditional favorites that simply work, so guests feel both cared for and delighted.
The tea industry is rapidly embracing “functional” and wellness-forward blends—teas and botanicals that support energy, focus, gut health, mood, and relaxation. Guests are looking for clean labels, organic options, and ingredients that support daily well-being, so at Tea Strings we stay on top of health-oriented recipes and better-for-you ingredients without losing the comfort of classic bakes and familiar flavors.
Afternoon tea and specialty tea houses are becoming more immersive and occasion-based, with strong themes, curated menus, and highly photogenic presentations. Tea Strings is already positioned in that direction with literary and film-inspired menus, intentional décor, and table settings that feel like stepping into a story, and we expect this sort of narrative, “lingering” experience to keep growing.
Aesthetics, Décor, And Social Media
Cafés that thrive increasingly pair good flavor with strong visual identity—interiors, plating, and drinks that photograph beautifully and express a clear brand. We stay current with décor trends and presentation while threading in vintage, classic, and European influences, so the space feels fresh yet timeless rather than purely trend-driven.
Consumers are asking more questions about where tea comes from, how it is grown, and whether it is ethically sourced. Over the next decade, small shops like Tea Strings will be expected to highlight loose-leaf quality, traceability, and sustainable practices, and we see that as an opportunity to deepen trust with our guests.
Overall, the industry is moving toward exactly the intersection Tea Strings inhabits: wellness-focused tea, artisanal food, immersive themes, and beautiful, highly personal spaces. Our intention is to keep updating recipes, décor, and menus to reflect modern tastes and health priorities, while preserving those “threads from the past”—traditional flavor combinations, classic bakes, and afternoon-tea rituals—that make the experience feel anchored and comforting.
Pricing:
- A Slice of Quiche Lorraine and Mini-Microgreen Salad: $8
- The Heathcliff (our slow roasted beef sandwich with house-made sourdough, melted havarti cheese and Vidalia onion jam: $11
- Gracious Grains Bowl (seasonal roasted vegetables on a bed of grains, garnished with crumbly cheese, nuts and/or dried berries and drizzled with a house-made vinaigrette. Add your choice of protein for an upcharge: $11
- Caramelized Custard French Toast with seasonal berries or fruit, honey and fruit syrup drizzled: $9
- Goodness Gouda Grits with eggs and choice of chicken sausage or bacon: $8.25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.TEASTRINGS.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teastringsparlor?igsh=bWptNml3dG5vd3Mz
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DDGKux9WK/
