Shabby Hattie’s closes in Parkville and other sad tales

After nearly three years of serving tea, cookies and scones, and tasteful lunches at Shabby Hattie’s Tea Room & Boutique in Parkville, owner Marcia Cherrito decided that the tea party was over. She closed the tearoom after serving her last scone last Saturday.

“Maybe Parkville wasn’t the right place for what I was trying to do,” says Cherrito, who tried every possible ploy to lure customers into her cozy shop, including doing sewing repairs for customers.

“The economy didn’t help,” Cherrito says. “We opened with a bang and then fewer and fewer customers were coming in. I’ll still be selling teas and things, but just on my website.”

Cherrito plans to offer cooking and sewing classes out of her home. “I’m all about self-sufficiency. I think everyone needs to know how to garden, canning what they grow, sewing and cooking.”