Victoria Ameel-Kovacs

I am the creator, owner and local tea monger at The Stillroom Tea Shop in Tarentum, PA.

I opened my shop on September 11th, 2001 in the little town of Sarver, PA. We all know what a memorable day that was. For me, it was like the day the earth stood still. The security and peace that I knew in my lifetime was gone. It was a new world out there and I wasn't quite sure what to do with it or how to live in it.

As I watched fall turned to winter, I created a small, quiet corner in my new world where people could come in and have a cup of tea on the house. Folks could chat or just sit quietly and be in the moment and be aware of the serene environment that meant so much to me in these trying times. We all needed to process our new reality in this world.

The offer of that simple cup of tea grew into a lovely little tea shop in the most unexpected of places. It started out in a renovated barn that housed a hardware and lumber store for most of the building's life. After almost a year there, I decided it was time to move on to the historic town of Saxonburg, PA, It was time to be a property owner. The town is about ten miles north of the barn and it was in Saxonburg that I purchased a two story brick house that was zoned commercial. The house was located off of the beaten path of Main Street. While it was not ideal for foot traffic, it was ideal in many other ways. If the shop was good enough, people would find me. This new space allowed me the freedom to live upstairs from my business. I would wake up every day, pack a school lunch for my son, get him to school, and be back in time to get the water on for tea. So for about ten years, lunches were packed, school happened, the business grew, parents aged, the son spread his wings and flew away and life changes happened. But, that is the way it is supposed to be!

After twelve years in farm country, it was time to think about where I wanted to take life. I put the building up for sale and moved closer to the city of Pittsburgh, PA, where I re opened my tea shop inside of a cool one hundrend year old building that houses an antique store. The new adventure started about a year ago and is successful and more important, fun!

If you ever find yourself in the city of Pittsburgh, you should definitely take in a baseball game during the summer. The stadium is one of the most scenic in the country and the Pirates are red hot!

Drink your tea.