TARBORO —
Not everyone gets the opportunity to dress elaborately in festive costumes and host fun-filled tea parties, said Patricia “Patty” Moss, owner of The Snack Shack in Tarboro. As she made that observation, Moss was dressed in an 18th Century-looking black-and-gold trimmed lace dress and wearing an orange wig with peacock feather accent pieces.
Although she said she enjoys seeing new faces every day while building a tighter bond with her customers, going home to brew rosemary peach tea, her specialty, for friends makes her happier than ever.
“Its fun,” she said. “It’s a great time for people to get together and experience something different and it’s really just a gathering of good times. You solve world problems, find out what’s going on in your friend’s life for the last 10 years, give them advice if it’s a baby shower and all kinds of things.”
Moss hosts tea parties in her home on request. She said people from all walks of life gather under her roof to laugh, talk and exchange gifts — if the occasion permits.
At each gathering, she said she serves tea, sandwiches, candies and an array of finger foods.
The idea for Moss to dress up for each party came from a visit last year to Plymouth’s “Living History Weekend” as she observed the “Make a Memory Tea Party.” From that day on, she said she began collecting teapots, teacups and settings that she described as “elegant, yet mismatched.”
“A friend invited me to go and it was just the best time ever,” she recalled. “ The food was great. Everyone there was in costume and they all had stories made up. It gave me the feel of how life was back in those days. It’s just something you don’t see nor go to everyday.”
Moss says her outfits are unique and over-the-top.
“It’s an outfit that will add to the charm of the tea party and add a little something different that you’re not accustomed of seeing everyday. To me, it’s fun because it’s unexpected. Most people never have been to a tea party in their lives. So, when you walk into one and see someone in costume, it’s almost like a production.”
At the parties she hosts, the No. 1 rule of attendance is to have a good time at all costs, she said. Loving people and having the love to talk falls at the top of the list, also.
“I like to gravitate toward people who like to have fun,” Moss said. “That’s what I get out of tea parties. I get such personal satisfaction from them. When you do it over and over again, it becomes second nature to you. It takes all of the stress away. I like when everyone comes in and has so much fun and knowing that they’re going to leave and take something back with them. My tea parties are meant to be over-the-top for something little and intimate. You can’t beat it.”
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Related Photos
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Patty Moss pours tea from one her many teapots as she hosts a private tea party. (Staff photo)
Moss relaxes with tea parties
Peace of Mine
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