When I tucked myself into the window-filled alcove of Newburyport’s The Proper Shoppe for a fancy tea service, I felt as though I were being entertained by a friend. After sharing tea with owner Michelle Yack and her two employees, Shari Davey and Kayla Harding, I realized the shop was a recreation of Yack’s home—warm, inviting, and thoughtfully curated. Yack, who lives in a Federal-style house in Newburyport with her husband, four-year-old son, and her beagle, Betty, opened the shop this past February.
Yack refers to her new venture as a tea atelier—a combination bakery, retail store, and high tea salon. She brings an extensive professional interior design background to the business, which she leverages to create a space that feels both historic and whimsical. “I would say there’s definitely a blur between what’s me and what’s the shop—it’s very much like my house. You could take all of this and put it in my home,” says Yack. She describes her style as maximalist, reflected in walls filled with art and wooden bookcases stocked with a curated selection of books, toys, pet accessories, and gifts. All items—including the artwork and frames are for sale.
While Yack may not redecorate her home every month, she does exactly that at The Proper Shoppe. Even before opening, she developed a full twelvemonth color palette to reflect both the seasons and monthly holidays. When I visited in March, everything was robin’s egg blue; April shifted to a peachy pink; and May features shades of lavender with purple wisteria. Even the retail items are switched out and color coordinated—an impressive dedication to design.
Her inspiration for a high tea experience dates back to childhood trips to Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort and visits to London, England. Two years ago, Yack put her vision into motion, first launching pop-up stalls at Newburyport’s Spring Fest and Yankee Homecoming while searching for a permanent space.
The shop’s grab-and-go offerings center on a large, curved bakery case stocked with a daily selection of small pastry bites, including apple roses and buttermilk, cheddar-sage, and fruit scones, as well as macarons from The Happy Macaron in Salem, New Hampshire. Except for the macarons, everything is baked in-house by Davey and Harding. Seasonal creations are the true highlight. Recently, there were mini Victorian sponge cakes with strawberry filling, each topped with a pink flower, and tiny Marie Antoinette–style cakes in three tiers that looked as though they belonged in a high-end dollhouse.
Pair your treats with tea, of course, but the shop also serves coffee, espresso, and lattes sourced from Kaha Coffee in Amesbury. The team from Kaha trained Yack, Davey, and Harding on their high end equipment. Each month, they create special hot and iced drinks layered with unique toppings. March’s Robin’s Nest Iced Latte featured mocha latte layered with blue coconut cold foam and topped with toasted coconut, cocoa powder, and chocolate eggs.
Yack also keeps a jar of dog treats by the front door. Recently, the takeout line stretched out the door, reflecting the community’s enthusiastic response. Seating for The Proper Shoppe’s high tea is limited to eight guests, divided between two spaces on either side of the entrance. From the padded window seats and chairs to the porcelain tea sets from Yack’s personal collection and the three-tiered trays of delicacies, it is a sumptuous experience for all the senses. Not strictly traditional afternoon tea or English high tea, Yack refers to it as their own curated “Proper Shoppe High Tea” experience.
Reservations are customized, with accommodations for dietary needs including vegan, peanut-free, and gluten-free options, as well as a children’s tea menu. Davey and Harding, both with years of food industry and catering experience, are especially skilled at creating vegan and gluten-free items. The table is set with delicate china, cloth napkins, and individual white teapots, each covered with a cloth cozy to keep the tea warm—all coordinated to the month’s color scheme.
The loose leaf tea is sourced from Savanti Healing in Wenham and includes black, decaf, white, and herbal options, along with an exclusive Proper Shoppe Bramble Berry Black blend. As an alternative, Harding creates lattes topped with delicate artwork, including Evangeline the Bunny, the centerpiece of the shop’s logo.
Davey presented her customized vegan tiered tray with a detailed description of each item. The bottom tier featured five savory tea sandwiches, including radish with herb butter, chickpea salad, English cucumber, and roasted beet crostini. Non-vegan options include ham with pepper jelly on cornbread, egg salad, and smoked salmon sandwiches.
The middle tier held buttermilk, blueberry, and cheddar-sage scones, accompanied by three small jars of blueberry jam, lemon curd, and clotted cream. Remarkably, all of these— including the cream and cheese—were vegan and exceptionally delicious, among the best vegan offerings I’ve had. The top tier featured five mini pastries: an apple rose, a London Fog cake topped with an edible sugar butterfly, a chocolate tea cake, a blueberry Linzer cookie, and a lemon Swiss tart.
For children’s tea, Yack offers silicone teacups for younger guests and a menu with highlights such as Butterfly Fairy Bread, Mr. McGregor’s Garden Pudding, and tulip sugar cookies. Monthly specials add extra charm; for Dr. Seuss’s March 2 birthday, they created a tiny blue-frosted cake topped with cotton candy.
Custom orders for cookies, cakes, and pastries can be placed in advance for celebrations and gift-giving. Custom cakes follow a European tea house aesthetic, with intricate icing, flowers, and even ribbon details. “Floral” bouquets made from chocolate-covered confections are available in milk, dark, and colored candy melts—an idea Yack originally developed as thank-you gifts for her son’s teachers.
Yack plans to introduce Champagne this summer and add outdoor seating. She is already sketching out Halloween and holiday décor. I’m already planning my next Proper Shoppe High Tea outing—this time to bring old friends to meet my new ones.