RIDGEWAY, S.C. — The well-known owner of Laura's Tea Shop in Ridgeway, Carol Allen, died on Nov. 1 after a battle with cancer. On Sunday, family, friends, and customers gathered at the shop to remember her.
"When you walked through the door, she just made you feel like you were friends forever," Darlene Dinkins, a 14-year regular, said.
"I'm extremely picky about my tea, yes, and coming to Ridgeway wasn't sure I'd be able to continue the tradition until I came here and met Carol, and she made me the best cup of tea this side of England," Gillian Barclaysmith, another long-time regular said.
The Ridgeway business owner was known for what many call the "Heart of Ridgeway."
She and her mother had started Laura's Tea Shop at the corner of Palmer Street 16 years ago. It was a tearoom, a consignment shop and something more to the community.
"She made everyone feel welcome and this was a place that she loved, and so she loved to have to people that she knew here. There were new people that would come in, but most of the people who come here are pretty regular," Dinkins said.
Many came to pour up a hot cup of tea over the years but stayed for the heartwarming experience.
"At first, I came for the tea; then, of course, you come because this is such a welcoming, fun place to be," Gillian Barclaysmith said.
The warmth came from Carol's heart.
"She always wanted people to feel welcome; she would always sit with the customers and talk to them about whatever was going on," employee Eliza Hanley said. "She wanted to comfort them. She had many personal relationships with a lot of the customers, and they just kept coming back because she was so involved with them."
While Allen won't be there, regulars say her love will remain throughout the shop. Carol's daughter and son-in-law are taking over the teashop and hope to continue her warm legacy in Ridgeway.