New ownership carries on SLO County tea shop legacy. ‘This house is magical’
A new tea shop is making its return to North County, bringing an old community gem back to life after five years of closure.
The Tea Trolley is reopening under the same name and in the same historic home as its predecessor in the heart of downtown Atascadero.
Originally opened and operated by British expat Wendy Richardson from 2002 to 2020, the store has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Richardson has passed the baton to a new owner, who saw the same potential in the space as her predecessor.
“This house is magical,” new owner Deneen DiCarlo told The Tribune. “It’s a place where you’ll feel it when you come here. It’s just filled with love.”
Located at 5932 Entrada Ave. — the oldest building on the block — visitors walk down a cobblestone path to enter the quaint cottage that is home to the tea shop.
Inside, its whimsical, Alice-in-Wonderland-themed decor transports visitors to another world.
Starting with a soft opening on Friday evening, guests can enjoy a cup of tea with a friend on the back patio, attend high tea on weekends or choose from the many unique blends to take home with them.
With community events planned for the future, DiCarlo hopes the shop will be a home for all.
“I wanted it to be like every age could come in here and feel comfortable,” she said. “I just want people to come here and just to be their sanctuary.”
Taste unique teas at Atascadero tea trolley
Before she met Richardson, DiCarlo, a retired rheumatologist, never thought she would open a tea shop.
Now, with a resident tea expert on staff and a legacy to uphold, DiCarlo dove head first into the world of tea.
“It just came down to the fact that this was meant to be a tea room,” DiCarlo said. “I mean, it just screams tea.”
Gina Hammond curates the Tea Trolley’s collection of loose leaf teas and blends, which have all been renamed and reimagined to fit the Alice in Wonderland theme and whimsy.
From traditional flavors like the Mad Hatter’s Breakfast — their take on an English breakfast tea — to the Queen’s Apricot Jubilee — a blended black tea with apricot, safflower and marigold — the shop is dedicated to bringing creativity to each of its flavors.
Some of their herbal blends even change color, using butterfly pea flower to create the magical effect. The Blushing Wonderland Brew — an herbal tea with blueberry, cranberry and hibiscus — turns a vivid pink when steeped, while Alice’s Curiosity Cup — a sweet and tangy mixture of pineapple, berries and whole marshmallows — blends from blue to purple.
The store’s holiday collection will even include real pieces of peppermint and gingerbread in their themed blends.
“It’s so much fun,” Hammond told The Tribune. “It’s so much more whimsical than just English tea.”
Also in line with the shop’s theme, an “eat me,” station offers tea sandwiches and petit fours, while “drink me,” and “smell me” sections give visitors a taste and whiff of the teas available for purchase.
Teas are avaible for purchase in two-ounce tins, going for $18 for caffeinated mixtures and $20 for the unique herbal blends.
Each tin makes an estimated 15-20 cups for the regular teas and 12-15 cups for the herbals.
History of the Tea Trolley
Built in 1930, the Tea Trolley house is the oldest-standing building on Entrada.
Originally built by a lawyer to serve as his office, the building saw many different uses, turning at one time into a dress shop, DiCarlo said. It is even rumored that a “little old lady” lived their briefly at one point, she said.
The building’s deep history continued through World War II, when local residents used the attic of the house to hide Japanese people from being taken to internment camps, according to Richardson.
Richardson moved to the United States from England in the 1960s.
Known locally as the “tea lady,” Richardson purchased the building in 2000 and opened it as a tea shop on Valentine’s Day 2002 in honor of her mother’s lifelong dream to do so. She opened the shop until 2020 when it closed due to pandemic troubles.
Now, DiCarlo is the same age Richardson was when she opened the shop over 20 years ago.
Though DiCarlo has surely made the store her own, she preserved the name and some of the original interior of the previous tea room.
The textured plaster walls are the same as when Richardson owned the shop, as well as the wooden tables, chairs, the original tea trolley and some of the tea sets in the high tea room. DiCarlo even kept the furniture in the same arrangements that Richardson had.
“I want people to come in here and still feel like the nostalgia of remembering their childhood,” DiCarlo said. “I really want it to still feel familiar.”
DiCarlo said Richardson is welcome to come back and serve high tea whenever she likes, and is having a special apron made for her to wear when she does.
DiCarlo kept a small statue of a woman serving tea that Richardson would put outside to indicate when the shop was open — now, DiCarlo will put it outside on days when Richardson is serving tea.
How to visit the Tea Trolley
Visitors can get a glass of wine and a first look at the Tea Trolley at its soft opening during the Atascadero Sip and Shop on Friday night.
Starting at 5:30 p.m., Rava Vineyards will be pouring wine at the tea shop all evening.
The shop will stay open for two high tea seats over the weekend, and then remain open for regular retail sales the following week.
The Tea Trolley will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with high tea seats between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Reservations will be required for high tea and open four weeks in advance.
Seatings will cost $50 per person, which covers the cost of a full pot of tea and a tower of tea sandwiches, scones, seasonal fruits, cakes and other desserts. The menu is pre-set with vegan and vegetarian options.
The shop will also be bookable for private events. In the future, DiCarlo said she hopes to host community events such as arts and crafts workshops, matcha preparation classes and teddy bear tea parties.
With the Tea Trolley, DiCarlo is carrying on Richardson’s legacy while making her own.
“I’m just kind of following a passion,” she said.
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
