New Businesses – Tea & Me

Owners: Christine rWatts and Tonya rPleggenkuhle
rAddress: 608 W. Emma rAve., Springdale 72764
rPhone: 501-927-9050
rHours: by appointment ronly
rStart-up date: August 31
rE-mail address: [email protected]

rChristine Watts and Tonya Pleggenkuhle want to play dress up all day long. In their new business, Tea & Me, sashaying around in old hats and gloves is the plan for success.

rProfessional party packages, including a dress up party for young girls and a three-course sit-down tea party for women, created an opportunity for the partners.

rWedding receptions, bridal showers and theme birthday parties are some of the social events that have taken advantage of Tea & Me’s potential.

rEach package includes planning, set up, hosting and clean-up of the party, which relieves the stress of the occasion, Watts said. For an extra fee, the party planner will also send personal invitations and thank-you notes for the event.

rFor a young girl’s birthday party with eight to 10 guests, Tea & Me charges $100. Bridal showers start at $175. Currently, the business outsources catering for the parties, but Watts said they will do most of the cooking as soon as the kitchen remodeling is completed.

rLocated in a house built in 1898, Tea & Me offers a party capacity of about 40 people.

rWatts said she found the idea for the business on the Internet, and about $20,000 started the venture.

rShe and Pleggenkuhle were stay-at-home mothers with a collective group of five children when they decided to open Tea & Me. A play room in the house allows the partners to stay close to their children while hosting parties for the business.