The lunch hour is slowly winding down at Cricket Meadow Tea when owner Julianne Johnson finally takes a break on a leather couch in the back of the shop.

Surrounded by tea pots and cups of her own collection and inviting kitchen tables and chairs, Johnson recalls the long months of getting the shop off the ground.

“Now in retrospect, you don’t start a tea shop because you have china,” Johnson said chuckling.

Located at 113 Sibley Ave. N., Cricket Meadow Tea is a warm, inviting place to spend an afternoon sipping a cup of tea. With its warm tones, brewing tea pots and freshly baked scones, the shop is Johnson’s opportunity to do what she loves — feeding and serving people.

The decision to start a tea shop came slightly out of the moment, Johnson said. Having inherited a love of tea from her parents, Johnson one day in October 2006 casually asked Very Vintage owner Susan Johnson about opening a tea shop in the vacant, adjacent building. Susan Johnson, not related, was sold on the idea immediately.

“What a great go-together. Someone can shop for a while (and) go have tea, go have lunch, go have a scone,” Susan Johnson said.

The tea shop is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, offering more than 30 flavors available by the cup, pot or bulk. The shop also has salads, soups and sandwiches and a variety of baked goods.

Read more about Cricket Meadow in the June 26 Independent Review.