Taking tea may be an English tradition, but one local business owner is making tea time an event for all to enjoy. Cornerstone Tea opened in the 40/42 area in December and in just a few short months has been making a name for itself in the tea world. The shop already ranks 13th in the state, as voted by customers on teamap.com, an online directory for finding tea rooms nationwide. Their ranking and stellar reviews also landed the shop in the top 500 in the nation. Owner Denise Simmons says she never expected to be so highly thought of so quickly, just as she never expected how great a role the tea industry would play in her life.

Simmons has lived in the Cleveland area since 1972. She and her brothers all moved back to the area after college and raised their respective families within a five mile radius of their parents’ home. Simmons and her husband Fred, who works in the Johnston County 911 center, are raising and homeschooling two children – Stephanie, 18, and Sawyer, 15. Simmons dabbled in various things before starting a catering company of her own, a business she ran for four years; first, as a home based bakery; then, expanding to a meal ministry that brought food to those in need.

One of Stephanie’s interests was herbs and their properties, so about two years ago, she and her mother met with the owner of The Little Herb House to delve more into the field. In the process, they began learning about teas.

“We couldn’t pour enough information into our brains,” said Simmons. “It just became more fascinating the more we learned.”

The Simmons family used to talk about becoming chocolatiers someday, dreaming about what they’d name their own shop.

“The dream was there to be an entrepreneur probably a good 10 years ago,” said Simmons.

And perhaps even longer than that. While her father was in the military, her mother was an artist with an enterprising nature Simmons believes she inherited.

“It was quite an interesting journey for her and to see her succeed,” she said. “I think whether you realize it or not, it becomes part of your fiber.”

Simmons had been approached about merging a tea business with Sweet Carolina Gourmet, a dessert company in the Cleveland area. At the time, she felt it wasn’t the right move. Some time later, when she decided to drive by the space the company had occupied, it was empty. Simmons made a call, and two weeks later, they were in the building.

“Knowing that we had that hunger to have a store and having a specialty that we were interested in, and being able to mesh those two together, was just amazing,” she said.

And it could not have come at a better time for Simmons. Her mother, Ruth, passed away in July.

“Having this place has been a great healing process for me,” said Simmons. “My mom lived with us up until she passed away. I had become quite tied to caring for her, so when she died, it left a big void in my life.”

Today, customers who step into the quaint shop are transported back in time, to a slower pace of life and a period of refined etiquette. The shop is decorated with antiques and various odds and ends, mostly from Simmons’ own collection, garnered through 27 years of being stationed at military bases throughout the world. She even has her grandparents’ wedding china available for use.

Customers can stop in to have brunch, lunch or just a cup of tea. But Simmons thinks the biggest advantage of the space is its availability for special events. First, there is the Rose Room, which has tables for dining and can hold 10 people. Then there’s Ruth’s Room, which was named after Simmons’ mother, for larger groups of around 15. Simmons says the rooms are perfect for celebrating any special occasion, from birthday parties to baby showers, graduation parties to bridal showers. With Mother’s Day on the horizon and wedding season in full swing, Simmons says Cornerstone Tea can offer a unique setting to celebrate holidays, big events and special moments.

“We can provide a nice, serene area and a good amount of privacy,” said Simmons.

This is especially true for gatherings scheduled after store hours, as these events will have the run of the entire shop. Simmons says groups can use the front room for tea tastings, the Rose Room for opening gifts and Ruth’s Room for dining. Cornerstone Tea has three pre-determined menus and prices to choose from for any event, with offerings like turkey or ham wraps, quiche, pimento cheese sandwiches, veggie trays, fresh fruits, rosemary parmesan shortbread cookies and chocolate truffles.

A Classical Conversations home-school group from Garner recently put Ruth’s Room to good use with an end of the year party. The girls and their mothers also learned about proper tea etiquette. Tutor Barbara Long, who organized the outing, found Cornerstone Tea through an Internet search and thought it would be a great chance for the girls to dress up, have fun and learn something at the same time.

“It was just a fantastic experience, from setting the reservation to communicating with Denise through e-mail to being here today,” said Long. “It’s been a great ladies’ day.”

But according to Simmons, tea drinking is not just for the ladies. Simmons says the majority of their male customers are actually veterans, soldiers who served overseas and acquired a taste for certain teas.

And Simmons says while the food they serve is delicious, it only acts as a complement to the real star of the show – the tea.

Cornerstone has its own tea label, and their signature tea is White Lemon. They sell tea prepackaged or by the ounce in 26 flavors, from the classic Earl Grey to masala chai, ginger peach, blood orange and wild strawberry.

After a winter of serving hot mugs of tea to chilly customers, Cornerstone is ready to switch gears for the summer, icing down their teas in mason jars, with pieces of fresh fruit garnishing the beverages.

“We work hard as a family to wait on folks very well,” said Simmons. “We do everything we can to meet our customers’ needs.”

Cornerstone Tea truly does qualify as a family affair. The entire Simmons family pitches in to help run the business, along with the help of two local students serving as apprentices, whom Simmons says have become like family as well.

“Being a family-based business, everyone is equally vested in giving good service and a good product,” she said. “It’s about getting your money’s worth. We want to make sure our customers leave completely satisfied.”

Cornerstone Tea is running specials for Mother’s Day weekend – this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, mention this article or bring in one of Cornerstone’s postcard mailings and receive 15 percent off your order. They also have specials throughout the year for various occasions.

The shop welcomes take-out orders and will also deliver for business meetings, parties or other gatherings. Cornerstone Tea is located at 41-C Technology Drive, in Cleveland Square behind the Food Lion at 40/42. For more information, call 919-661-4221 or visit www.cornerstonetea.com.

The shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday by appointment only. They are closed Mondays.