Once upon a time, a sweet, pink and fancy tea party room opened in a land, called Slabtown. The cozy spot was just perfect for dressing up in the fanciest of ball gowns and trying on shiny shoes, with plenty of space for little princesses and princes to twirl, giggle, share in fancy tea parties and become completely immersed in fairytales. Sound like a dream? It’s all true. Laughter & Lemonade, a new pint-sized tea party and story time event space just opened a stone’s throw from the Pearl. Here’s what we discovered when we took a peek inside.

photo: Laughter & Lemonade by Acorn Studios

The Story

Angela Burnett is the owner of Laughter & Lemonade. When her daughter was very young, Burnett used to host tea parties for her, inspired by the book, Mrs. Gigglebelly is Coming for Tea. These sweet and fancy tea parties with her daughter, paired with being a primary school teacher for many years, gave Burnett the idea to start Laughter & Lemonade back in her home state of Wisconsin.

Burnett’s daughter is now grown and Burnett relocated from Wisconsin to Portland. Burnett didn’t really want to go back to teaching, but she loves working with children, so she decided to revisit her tea party idea she started long ago and, just like that, Laughter & Lemonade in Portland was born.

photo: Laughter & Lemonade by Acorn Studios

The Layout

Once you park near 17th and Lovejoy, walk around the building to the area where cars can drive through. The space is located halfway down the driveway area. You can’t miss its brightly colored  garage-turned-event-space with a little picket fence out front.

Inside you’ll notice it’s a cozy, tidy space. Everything is tucked neatly in its place and the space is just perfect for tiara-topped toddlers and their parents. Across the common area rug just inside the door is the dress up area with a curtained changing room and a huge selection of beautiful gowns to try.  Off to the side are rows of sparkly shoes and a large selection of accessories, like jewelry and boas.

 

Monthly Events

Burnett hosts two special events monthly that anyone, ages 4-10, can attend. One event is a themed event and the other is a story time tea. Both incorporate a seasonal theme, as well as a story and craft for $20. Children will have 45 minutes of dress-up time, a 30-minute story and craft time, followed by the 15 minute tea time (cookies and lemonade). These special events fall on select Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 3:30-5 p.m., and are on a first come, first serve basis for up to 8 children. Double check the Facebook page for dates and sign up in advance.

Upcoming events in June 2015:

Tues., June 9: Summer Fun Has Begun with stories from the Fancy Nancy collection, as well as making fancy flip-flops for the craft.

Thurs., June 25: Story Time Tea with Ice Cream Summer, by Peter Siss, along with a stationery craft.

photo: Laughter & Lemonade by Acorn Studios

Birthday Parties

Parties get the royal treatment here. Burnett can also host birthday parties from 4 to 12 children.

The Rose Princess Birthday Party is $20/child and can be anywhere from four to twelve children.This includes 90 minutes of party time, including 45 minutes of dress-up playtime, a 30-minute tea party with lemonade, organic snack mix, flower-shaped sandwiches, organic fruit and veggies and mini cupcakes, and 15 minutes to open presents. Guests leave with a favor bag filled with a wand, necklace, candy and temporary tattoo.

Playdate Tea Party Packages include one of two themes and are 60 minutes. The Princess Playdate theme features 40 minutes of dress-up play and a 20 minute tea party for $12/child. The Craft Tea gives kids 30 minutes of dress-up play time, a 15-minute tea party and a 15 minute craft, which could be a candy necklace, butterfly mask or princess peacock art, for $15/child.

1720 NW Lovejoy, Suite 119
503-683-3364
Online: laughterlemonade.com

Does your child like to have fancy tea parties? Let us know in the comments section below!

—Suzie Ridgway

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