Tea Tree breathes life into Glen Alpine’s old knitting mill

What started in a small white building on Main Street is now expanding to Glen Alpine’s historic knitting mill at 204 E. Main St.

Surrounded by antiques and handmade treasures placed throughout her section of the mill, Tammy Taylor reflected on the reasoning behind her creation of Tea Tree: a calling from God. Now, 24 years later, a similar calling is what led Taylor to the old mill.

Taylor founded Tea Tree as part of a larger mission, Nathan’s Hope Ministry, and was inspired by her own healing journey after an abortion in her teenage years. The purpose of Tea Tree, she said, is to support women and families, but especially single mothers, stay-at-home moms, widows, and disabled women.

“In our society, it’s hard to have a family on one income, so God told me to open a shop where moms could bring in their items to sell, and that would help them supplement income,” Taylor said.

Tea Tree is available for everyone, Taylor said, but consignment fees can vary depending on each family’s situation. For example, single moms or stay-at-home moms with families living off one income would receive 90% back from their sales. The remaining percentage goes back into Tea Tree’s overhead.

“Tea Tree doesn’t only just help the moms supplement income … but also helps them find a sense of worth that they have something on their own,” Taylor said, adding that she tries to learn what each woman’s talents are, so they can help out in a way that best suits their personality and life. For women who are disabled or are retired, she said they love to contribute by volunteering or donating some of their own crafts, such as crochet and other handiwork. Taylor said she also teaches women how to repurpose donated items.

Taylor estimates that Tea Tree supports between 30 and 50 families. Some come in every week. Others visit once or twice a year. Whenever they need more income, Taylor said Tea Tree is there to help.

As for the name Tea Tree, Taylor said the “tree” started without leaves. It came into full bloom as the ministry grew, and each leaf represents a family. The “tea” represents a touch of comfort and a way to show the women who shop and visit that they are special, Taylor said.

PASSING TEA TREE DOWN

Tea Tree will also continue operating from its original Glen Alpine location at 112 E. Main St. The store will be divided into three different shops. Each shop will be managed by a different family.

The first shop, Lavender & Lace, will be owned by two sisters who homeschool their children. Their dream is to create a space that celebrates beauty, simplicity, and the slow rhythms of home life through vintage treasures, heirloom finds, and the smell of hand-poured candles.

The second, The Mossy Rabbit, will be a space curated by a mother and daughter. The mother homeschooled her now-grown children, and her daughter hopes to start a family of her own. They plan to fill the shop with handmade treasures, repurposed finds, and vintage goods.

The third shop, with its name coming soon, will be operated by two sisters, one a mother of two boys and the other who hopes to start her own family. Their shop will have a variety of different treasures, but more information will be available soon.

Each of the shops, Taylor said, will allow a mother (or two) to stay home, raise her children, while still following the spark of her own creativity.

Taylor said letting her Tea Tree families manage the locations will give her time to dive back into her other ministry work. Nathan’s Hope Ministries supports families by helping them find ways to supplement their income, offering Bible-based counseling, providing classes that guide young girls toward purity, and hosting skill-sharing classes for women in the community.

At the knitting mill location, vendors are beginning to set up their displays in their designated spaces inside the mill building. The mill sits between Main Street E and Old Mill Street. Shoppers will enter through the Old Mill Street side, technically the back of the building. In addition to the vendors, Tea Tree will have space downstairs for people to shop. The opening date is July 8.

Taylor is also looking for someone who wants to open a coffee shop in the Glen Alpine area as the space has a large bar and a porch in the back. The space, she said, was used as a winery at one point.

The ministry has long been self-sufficient, but with its recent expansion, Taylor said Tea Tree is now open to both item and financial donations.