Tilly’s Tea Room Opens in Saks

Writer / Lisa Mitchell

Sharon Moore, owner of Tilly’s Tea Room, didn’t start out with plans to open a whimsical tea room. In fact, her career started in the not-so-whimsical world of auto racing, where she worked as a camerawoman for the BBC covering what was the Champ Car World Series at the time, and is now IndyCar.

That high-action career required Sharon to constantly travel, something she wasn’t interested in doing after the 2008 birth of her daughter, Matilda, who goes by Tilly. She then had Max, who is now 5 years old. When Sharon was ready to return to work, she decided to bring the concept of a classic English tea room to Fishers.

Moore is originally from New Castle, England, and always appreciated the special time set aside to enjoy daily tea and connect with people while doing so. Tilly’s Tea Room first opened in downtown Fishers, off of 116th Street. She enjoyed serving customers at that location through early 2015.

Around that time, Moore was contacted by the Assistant General Manager of Saks Fifth Avenue at Keystone Fashion Mall. She had seen an article in the Indianapolis Business Journal featuring Moore and Tilly’s Tea Room and was interested in bringing the concept of the tea room to Saks. Sharon shared her interest, and plans to bring the concept to reality began.

While researching whether Tilly’s Tea Room would be a good addition to Saks, many people said they missed the days of the L.S. Ayres Tea Room and thought a classic department store tea room, if done well, would be a huge draw for shoppers, as well as the community. They went forward with the idea and found Saks was the perfect spot to combine high fashion and afternoon tea. 

Tilly’s offers a classic selection of teas, including black, green, white, and herbal varieties. Coffee is also served. To accompany the teas and coffee, the menu offers soups, salads, and sandwiches. Beginning in mid-December, Tilly’s will also offer Sun King Beer, wine, and champagne cocktails and will be extending the Saturday hours until 8 p.m. Along with offering beer and wine during the extended hours, the Saturday evening menu will also include a selection of small plates such as a cheese board, charcuterie board, ravioli, bruschetta, and a mini Yorkshire puddings trio filled with a selection of roast beef, sausage and onion gravy and vegetables.

Moore said Tilly’s offers people the opportunity to enjoy a classic afternoon tea, host a beautiful bridal or baby shower, or create a memorable princess birthday party. There is also a children’s area for their special events, as well.

Moore echoes the sentiments of the renowned writer Henry James who said, “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

She hopes that you will join her at Tilly’s Tea Room and experience a true afternoon tea that’s not only whimsical and beautiful, but delicious as well.

Comments 1

  1. I've got a tearoom too in my spa. and I really love to have it. We have almost the same design and space.

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