Parties Victorian
Build a business around tea time . . . and Victorian times.
By Devlin Smith •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Given Sheila di Matteo's passion for the time of tea parties, parasols and lace gloves, it's no wonder she founded Parties Victorian. "I love everything about it," says di Matteo, whose company's specialty is tea parties where she sells Victorian-themed items. "I like their clothes. I like their houses. Everything that's in a Victorian house-it's so gorgeous and detailed."
Started as a part-time business in 1998, Fullerton, California-based Parties Victorian was a natural next step for di Matteo, whose friends and co-workers used to ask her to hunt down Victorian items for them. Instead of buying a few items for a few people, di Matteo decided to buy as much as she could and sell to family and friends at tea parties.
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