In-person social and community events have grown increasingly rare in recent years. Virtual meetings are convenient and, due to the lack of commute, allow schedules to be packed with hyper-efficiency.
AntiquiTea House, 2885 University Ave., opposes this speed and efficiency of human interaction. The cafe serves coffee, tea and light fare, but “our specialty is community,” reads its website.
To put this value into action, AntiquiTea hosts regular events. Most are free and all support face-to-face communication and allow patrons to engage their creativity and intelligence.
There are evenings devoted to activities like bingo or board games. A needlework club allows patrons to catch up with old friends, make new ones and make progress on a craft project. A Spanish conversation group gives language learners of all fluency levels the opportunity to maintain and build Spanish conversation skills.
My favorite offering is Silent Book Club, an international organization that promotes reading in communities. Attendees bring a book of their choosing to the meeting and, after greeting fellow readers and ordering refreshments from Antiquitea’s menu, read in silence for an hour — almost heaven.
AntiquiTea has two spaces to rent for private events. The Mountain Room is spacious enough to accommodate club meetings, family gatherings, or reunions of up to 17 people. The Sea Room is ideal for smaller groups of up to 10 people. These spaces can be reserved for a maximum of two hours and require purchasing a cafe gift certificate ($35 for the Mountain Room and $25 for the Sea Room).
The cafe is open from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily (closed on Sunday). There are plentiful wall outlets for charging devices and free wifi for workers and students. The menu features fine teas and coffees, pastries, breakfast, and light lunch and dinner options. Gluten-free and dairy-free options are available.
The owners, Traci and Matt Stead, make a point of offering high-quality products. However, they profess that the deeper purpose of AntiquiTea House is to provide the community with quality time.
EVA MURPHY is a freelance business writer for The Dominion Post. She writes a column on businesses, churches and other entities in the city.
