BERRYVILLE, Va. — In Berryville, Virginia, a British tradition is observed every day: tea.
“Today we have our regular afternoon tea, we have two seatings,” explained Allison Ritter, the owner of the Tea Cart, an English-styled restaurant and gift shop. “We serve three-course meals, single-course meals, as well as unlimited flavors and bottomless pots of tea.”
A life-size cardboard cutout photo of Queen Elizabeth stood in the shop, normally wearing a pink hat. On Friday, Sept. 9, the Queen’s replica stood wearing a black hat. Ritter also dedicated a table in the dining room to honor the Queen.
“We tipped the chair up, we placed some vintage gloves and a little hand purse and some pearls,” said Ritter.
Dionne Hall, Suzanne Jones, and Becki Wessinger sit at a table by the window. “We’re all pastors,” said Wessinger. “This is our monthly getaway for conversation and renewal.”
Each had their reaction to the royal matriarch’s passing. “I really felt as if I’d lost a grandmother,” said Hall.
“Not only is she a woman in leadership, but she was also setting the standards, and she came up against some hard-hitting things in her lifetime,” said Jones. “She’s kind of set the bar high for us as women. But also how to carry out with dignity and grace, but also be respectful…as we are women in leadership as well, she’s kind of a role model.”
“Her last official duty in welcoming a female member of Parliament, that was very touching to me,” said Hall.
Wessinger admired her long-lasting reign. “She never tired, she persevered. She never said, ‘I’m done,’ and stepped down,” said Wessinger. “That perseverance and continuing to look for what the next right thing is to do.”
Tracy Wenger sat at a table on the other side of the room. She studied abroad in England and also admired the Queen’s seven decades of graceful rule.
“For 70 years,” said Wenger, “through World War II, just everything she went through, she always kept her dignity, he poise, she was just a remarkable woman.”
Ritter said they plan to leave the table dedicated to Queen Elizabeth for the rest of the month.