This winter in Keels, a tea room inspired by the movie Maudie is where it's at
There are only 50 people or so living in Keels at this time of year, but Maudie's Tea Room in the Bonavista Bay community is always full.
"It's a place for people to gather and socialize, because there's nothing else to do," says co-owner Eileen Mesh.
"You get to see people you haven't seen for a while and sit and chat, so we've been enjoying it."
Family business to film set
Mesh and her husband Selby run his family's business, the Hubert and James Mesh Store in Keels.
The small store is the only retail outlet between Keels and Bonavista, and sells groceries, hardware, and the usual convenience store odds and ends.
Several years ago, the building was used as an exterior set for the feature film Maudie, renovated to look like a small town store from the 1930s.
"After the movie came out, it became quite an attraction," said Mesh.
Soft opening
The Meshes thought all the tourists travelling to Keels to take photos of the film location needed a place to stop for a cup of coffee or tea and a snack.
They converted a section of the Hubert and James Mesh store into Maudie's Tea Room, and after several renovation and bureaucracy-related delays, opened in November 2018.
What's the secret to Maudie's Tea Room? Owner Eileen Mesh opens up:
"Not being familiar with how a business like that should run, we decided to open it and give it a try with locals, just to see how things were done," said Mesh.
Mesh said she and her husband open the tea room on Friday and Saturday afternoons and evenings.
Learning Curve
She said serving local customers during the 'off off' season is giving them training in how much, and what kinds of food to serve, and even how much cutlery they need.
Mesh said that by the time the tourist season incomes around, Maudie's Tea Room in Keels will be open every day.
Meanwhile, things may get a bit rowdier at the only place for date night on their section of the Bonavista Peninsula.
"We did have a couple in the tea room who are accordion players," said Mesh.
"And they told us the next time they come, they would bring their accordion with them."
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