I have quite a few feature interviews under my belt now, but I still consider myself to be far from an expert in conversation. For that reason, there is always a moment of hesitation before walking into one of these interviews. While it hasn’t happened yet, I always worry that I might be about to meet the type of person that I can’t get a good story out of. I’m always nervous.
I had that same feeling walking into my appointment with the owners of the Dewdrop Gift Shop & Tea Room in downtown Monaca. I had never met Sarah Ugoletti before, and it had been years since I had seen Cady Goss. I had no idea what to expect, and then there was the even bigger issue: I don’t really like tea.
As is the case with most of my biggest fears, this one turned out to be completely unfounded. What followed that moment of hesitation was one of the most enjoyable interviews I have conducted to date, as well as an amazingly good cup of tea.
Meet Sarah Ugoletti
After the initial formalities, I start most of my interviews by simply asking the person I am meeting with to tell me their story. That was all the prompting Sarah would need as she dove right into the background that lead to her and Cady opening the Dewdrop Gift Shop and Tea Room.
The Dewdrop story actually starts with an experience Sarah had while attending classes at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. Her classes required her to attend certain presentations, and being the typical college student, she elected to attend the one presentation that would count towards multiple classes, rather than be bothered with attending multiple presentations for multiple classes.
The presentation that Sarah attended was changed at the last minute, and she ended up listening to a man from Kenya who makes humanitarian documentaries about Africa. This particular presentation featured scenes from a documentary he had recently made on Rwanda.
Something about the presentation struck a chord with Sarah. She left knowing that she had to go to Africa. Shortly after that, she purchased a one way ticket to Kenya and would spend nine months in Africa.
Bringing Tea Time to Monaca
Sarah explained to me that many of the places she visited in Africa were originally British colonies, so they carried on a number of British traditions, like afternoon tea time. During her nine months there, she found that this was her favorite time of day. It gave her the opportunity to meet people, socialize, and develop friendships.
After returning home to Beaver County, Sarah found that she really missed those tea times. Between college and her trip to Africa, she had been away from home for a long time and was finding it difficult to make new friends here. She wished that there was a centralized place where she could meet and develop friendships with other “creative-brained” people, perhaps over tea.
Supporting Local and International Artists
As she continued to think about her idea for a tea room in Beaver County, Sarah also developed the idea that this place could support local and international artists by selling their work for them on consignment.
She knew of many local artists that made fantastic products, but struggled to find an outlet to distribute those products. She also had contacts in Africa that produce one-of-a-kind art and jewelry that she knew would be popular in Beaver County.
“Hey Cady, I Have This Idea”
With her business concept coming together in her mind, Sarah became more and more convinced that this was the path she was going to take. She also realized that she was going to need some help if she was going to be successful.
On a cold Sunday afternoon in February, Sarah called her cousin, Cady, and asked if she would meet her for a cup of coffee. When they got together, Sarah explained the concept, and Cady was instantly hooked.
With a formal business plan in place, Sarah and Cady began looking for a storefront in March. They chose their current location in Monaca because it presented the unique combination of a high traffic area in a safe community with adequate parking. It was also helpful that the storefront sits right across the street from a traffic light, so there would always be people looking right into the front of the store.
When it came to picking a name, that was the easy part. Sarah’s great-grandparents had owned the Do-drop Inn in Aliquippa, so out of respect for them, the Dewdrop Gift Shop & Tea Room was born.
Inside the DewDrop Gift Shop & Tea Room
It took Sarah and Cady five weeks of cleaning and three weeks of renovations to get the store to where they wanted it. When you walk into the Dewdrop today, you can’t help but be impressed by the way the colors from art on display and the furniture come together.
Just about every piece of furniture was either found in the store or somewhere nearby and then upcycled or repurposed to fit the style that Sarah and Cady were looking for. The collection of art on display adds an element of sophistication, creativity, and color that I found to be very inspiring.
What About the Tea?
I had never been to the Dewdrop Gift Shop & Tea Room before because I didn’t know about the art and gifts they sell, and I thought I didn’t really like tea. When Cady asked me what type of tea I would like, I was overwhelmed….kind of like my first experience at Starbucks….so I just asked her to make me her favorite.
When she brought me a Vanilla Chai Tea Latte, I was once again stunned to find out that I had no idea what I was missing. In my mind, hot tea was those Lipton bags my mother would put into a mug of microwaved water, not the work of art that Cady placed in front of me. This thing was beautiful, and delicious too.
I won’t pretend to understand the differences in black tea versus green tea or white tea, but I can tell you that the Dewdrop Girls know what they are talking about in this area! They also make all of their own flavoring syrups.
The girls get all of their tea from Hallowed Grounds in New Brighton. They also stock awesome pastries from Stangl’s Bakery in Ambridge and even feature some gluten free options. While they don’t have a liquor license, Dewdrop does have a BYOB policy that allows customers to bring in any liquor they like to make a Hot Toddy or Twisted Tea.
The Place for Creative People
I found the Dewdrop Gift Shop & Tea Room to be a very inspiring place that would be perfect for writing, or any other type of artistic pursuit. Apparently, quite a few other people feel the same way. The girls have regular events like an open stage night and improv comedy shows. They also do luncheon parties and birthday tea parties for little girls.
Being creative people themselves, Sarah and Cady have no plans of stopping here. They would like to grow their store and expand into the second floor of their buildings. They also have ideas for a coffee shop concept, and maybe even a franchise model for Dewdrop. They would also love to start a theater right in downtown Monaca to support our local cultural scene.
Sarah Ugoletti and Cady Goss are impressive women. Their vision of building a business that supports local artists is both exciting and inspirational, and with the drive these ladies have, there is no doubt that they will reach every goal they choose to set for themselves.
Thank you for writing this article. I am definitely going to stop in there now. I have sat at that red light you mentioned in the article and looked at this storefront and wondered, “what is that place?” I vowed to check it out, but never have. Sooooo, after reading your piece, I am very intrigued and excited to patron their business. I love tea, creative people and artsy handmade items. I will definitely spread the word!
I’m actually sitting there right now! I really like the place!
I, too, was curious what this business was all about. Always good to see another small business opening up in the area! Wishing you much success, Sarah and Cady!