Feb 19, 2009

Teatime in RidgewayBy Megan SextonTheState.com

Ridgeway, SC — They come to Laura’s Tea Room to be pampered, to choose their own dainty cups and saucers and take in the rituals of a traditional tearoom.

They come in pairs or in groups of four or five or six — typically women, although the occasional man ventures in.

They come to learn about tea, to enjoy a light lunch and to wear a hat (even if they swear they aren’t hat people.)

They come for the experience.

It starts as they walk in the door of The Thomas Co. in downtown Ridgeway. The circa-1911 building has been brought back to its original beauty, with brick walls, massive arched windows and even the original cash register. Restored cabinets and wooden shelves that once held shoes and other general merchandise for sale now are filled with teas, coffees, gifts, and the works of local and regional crafters.

At the back of the store, customers climb the sweeping stairs to the sun-bathed tearoom.

“Even with a torn meniscus, these stairs are worth climbing,” said Gerri Hood of Blythewood, a frequent tearoom customer.

Reaching the top, it’s time to stop at the sideboard lined with cups and saucers, some plain, some ornate, all looking just right for a tea party. The table also holds a framed photo of the room’s namesake, the late Laura Thomas, the last Thomas to run the store and a former mayor of Ridgeway.

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