We had the good fortune of connecting with Kiarra Sykes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kiarra, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

Like most people – a new hobby emerged during the COVID-19 Pandemic. I was someone obsessed with historical British culture and historical fiction books and television shows since my teenage years. During the pandemic, a phenomenon emerged on Netflix — Bridgerton. Like millions of others, I caught Bridgerton fever. Along with binge watching (for the hundredth time) The Crown and Bridgerton, I became newly fascinated with afternoon tea. I then found a local hotel in Greensboro, NC that had daily afternoon tea and quickly fell in love with the practice and went often.

I shared her love with her husband and friends by inviting them to tag along.

Now in Dallas, I began exploring the afternoon tea scene and making classic recipes herself. At five months pregnant, I decided to plan my own baby shower — an afternoon tea party! From securing rentals, to catering, to design — I had conquered it all! After getting praise that it was the best baby shower my guests ever attended, I decided to step out on faith and start my own vintage tea party rental and tea party events company to share my love of event planning, afternoon tea & to serve the DFW metroplex & beyond!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Originally, I was going to purchase a tea party business that was looking to sell since I was new to the DFW. I thought this would set me up well with supplies and contacts. After almost a month of trying to contact the owner, i decided to begin purchasing my own inventory. Finally, the owner got back to me with a price which they negotiated and agreed upon. A week later, the owner stopped returning my emails. I was at a crossroads because I was a newer resident of the area and did not know many people. Whereas this business had been operating for over three years and had a massive following. After some tough conversations with my husband, i decided to still keep pressing forward and start from scratch which made me get creative in her marketing tactics to reach her target audience. As of January 2023, only four months in business, I have had multiple private meetings event clients, two successful brand events & a return client for a major event in spring 2023 already on the books!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to Terry Black’s for BBQ immediately! It’s my favorite. Furthermore, we would go to Grandscape in The Colony, The Star, and catch a Mavericks game.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate this shoutout to my husband and business partner Darryl who has pushed me to make my dreams a reality and has worked relentlessly to make sure I have had the opportunity to dream and explore. I would also love to dedicate this to my son Kingsley Malech — the little boy who showed me that I have the ability to do it.

Website: www.socialiteteaprty.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/socialiteteaco

Image Credits
Terica B Photo

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.