Crown Parlor Celebrates Opening

Mac Ingles thought he didn’t like tea. Then he started drinking it.

He said he began feeling better and stopped getting sick. After that, he was hooked.

Now, he and his wife, Vicky, have opened their own tea parlor, in the where Empress Tea Room used to be. They celebrated Thursday with a ribbon cutting.

“It’s been wonderful, it really has,” Mac said of the community’s response to his business, which officially opened Sept. 5.

Crown Parlor offers high tea and catered events for private parties of 10 to 50 people in its Victorian Dining Room and adjoining Edwardian Lounge. When customers book a private event, they have exclusive access to the whole parlor.

Customers can choose their own caterer, bring their own food or let Crown Parlor organize the delivery of food. The business offers finger sandwiches, cookies and scones for high tea in the evening. Beer, wine and sodas are also available.

Mac said he has had multiple businesses throughout his life, including stints in public relations and commercial security, but he has never before had a brick and mortar store.

He said he had wanted to open a tea parlor for about five years and looked first in South Tampa. Then, as he was driving down Fowler Avenue one day, he noticed that the Empress Tea Room for was lease.

“We found this, and we love it,” Vicky said.

The fact that the space was previously a tea parlor has made it a bit easier for the couple to start their business, Mac said. They didn’t have to spend money to refit anything, and the community already knows the location.

Mac has a positive attitude about how the state of the economy might affect a luxury business such as his.

“I like to think that if the economy is bad, it’s only going to get better,” he said. “This might be the best time to start a business.”