Tea and Magnolias Offers Eclectic Items, Queen Chamo
By DAVID JONES
Contributing Writer
WELCOMING VISITORS: Susan Ponville is enjoying her venture at Tea and Magnolias in Riverwalk Crossing.
MATTHEW W. GROSS for GTR Newspapers
The land that Queen Chamo rules is but 1,400 square feet, but she rules it with an iron paw.
The land is called Tea and Magnolias and is located at 500 Riverwalk Terrace, Suite 165. It is a lovely little area of Jenks’ Riverwalk center but Queen Chamo (her name is really Chamomile, after the tea, but you can only address her as that if you are on intimate terms) rightly considers it her domain as all good cats would.
Her majesty came a little late onto the scene, but that hasn’t stopped her from staking her claim to royalty.
The shop was actually opened by Susan Ponville on June 3, 2005. It was named after the gracious living Susan had grown to love when she was growing up in Tupelo, Miss.
“I love the location,” Susan says. “When I come to work I feel like I’m on vacation. I picked this location with long-range vision. When we opened we were the southernmost store in the complex, but next year Phase II will be completed and we will be in the middle.”
Still catless, Susan set about stocking her little store. Some of her lines are unusual if not exclusive. She has imported the famed fairies of Mark Roberts who, as a little boy, was told tale after tale of the magical folk by his mother and upon reaching adulthood decided to give them form.
Those who like to brighten up the kitchen may be captivated by the works of Jeanette McCall, a cook so renown that one of her wedding cakes wound up celebrating the nuptials of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.
McCall discovered that the techniques that allowed her to make such fanciful cake designs would do very nicely, when applied with liquid ceramics, making lovely cake plates, tea pots and the like. Her artistry is one of the proudest offerings of Tea and Magnolias.
Among the other unusual items are a series of candles by Root Candles, a series of candles with an incredibly slow burn rate. The largest candle, in a jar, will keep going for more than six days before it finally burns out.
Add to all this, items for Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University football fans, exotic cookbooks and a wealth of other items and it’s easy to see that Tea and Magnolias is worth a look.
Even without Queen Chamo’s help, Tea and Magnolias was off to a fine start. How did she become the part of the scene?
My husband suggested we get one (a cat) for the store so I went to an organization called Street Cats and found Chamomile.”
At first, Susan says, Chamomile seemed intimidated by her surroundings and would flee whenever a customer came into the store but, as time passed and she became familiar with her surroundings, she decided that her favorite spot in the store was either the soft chair in the office or the countertop.
Indeed, she was at the latter place when a customer had the temerity to disturb her afternoon nap by writing a check. Queen Chamo reacted by reaching out a royal paw and swatting the pen from the woman’s hand.
In the short two months she has been a part of the scene Queen Chamo has become a star attraction of her own. Customers now drop by just to see how she’s doing.
So there you have Tea and Magnolias! For gifts come in and look at the candles, teas, coffees, kitchenware and all the other fanciful items offered.
For royalty come in and acknowledge Queen Chamo but always remember she is a proud, aloof feline and don’t be disturbed if she doesn’t acknowledge you back.
Updated 02-23-2006
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