Fresh fruit smoothies coming to Tea Corner Emporium
Visitors to Oscoda will be able to enjoy a new sweet treat this summer, thanks to a new addition at The Tea Corner Emporium in Oscoda.
Owner Gretchen Whitefield is planning to add fresh fruit smoothies in May, joining the high-quality teas and scones already on offer.
“I moved here in 2021,” Whitefield said of her journey to opening the shop. “My mom moved here and wanted to open a business with me. When I moved here, I was invited to multiple housewarming parties and baby showers, and there’s nowhere really around to get a quick gift, so I wanted to open a little gift shop and my mom wanted to open a tea shop.”
They combined those ideas, and now own The Tea Corner Emporium at 201 S. State St. The shop carries both quick-grab, unique gifts and tasty teas.
Whitefield once owned a high-end baby boutique, bringing a background in business ownership to Oscoda — which is fairly close to where she grew up.
“I’m actually from Harrisville,” she said. “It’s a good in-between spot.”
The community response to The Tea Corner Emporium, when it opened, “blew me away,” Whitefield said.
“For my soft open, a writer for The Oscoda Press put in a blurb for me, and it was my busiest day ever,” she said. “A lot of those who came were local businesses, Tait’s, Edelweiss, To The Moon and Back. They brought gifts and welcomed me. It was unbelievable. Oscoda is very small business friendly. I’ve never lived in an area where your support is so strong from other businesses.”
Also new this year, Whitefield is bringing in items for expectant mothers and children.
“We also have really cute homegoods, things for cooking,” she said. “I kind of took the Cracker Barrel idea, where you can shop and eat, so there’s a little bit of everything. And there’s tables throughout, so you can get a cup of tea to-go, you can buy an ounce of loose-leaf tea, or you can have some tea and a scone while you visit with friends.”
Starting in April, the business is open Tuesdays and Thursdays-Saturdays.
“We just wanted a place where people could sit with friends,” Whitefield said. “A meeting spot.”
Learn more on Facebook under The Tea Corner Emporium.