Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Murkin.
Hi Mary, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I knew since I was five years old (that was a lot of years ago) that I wanted to own and run my own business. In 2012, I bought a beautiful commercial property at the corner of Worth and Cox streets in Asheboro, NC that has historically been known as “The Ross House”—a stunning 104-year-old mansion in the middle of our downtown district. In early 2013, I opened Brightside Gallery—a “homestyle” shop to represent beautiful things made by area artists. In early 2014, I started another company—Carriage House Tea—which is housed within Brightside Gallery. Having obtained the Federal Trademark for Carriage House Tea has allowed me to launch it on a national platform, selling retail to customers locally and on a website, as well as selling wholesale to other businesses. It is the tea company that has turned into the largest part of my business life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a relatively smooth road. The learning curves were due to this all being something new for me to understand and develop. The tea company and product development evolved with time and experience. But it has all been a positive and forward-moving effort.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I developed my tea company in 2014. I started this on a local shop level and then expanded to selling nationwide on a website. Very shortly after, I began taking on wholesale accounts to distribute the tea commercially. I specialize in the finest quality loose leaf tea in the business. Great care and creative efforts were involved in the creation of the company logo and the packaging, etc. All elements of the physical product were designed and created locally. I am the only federally recognized tea company in this part of North Carolina.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I enjoy playing guitar, writing original songs, and singing with a local band, Original Formula.
Pricing:
- An airtight tin of loose leaf tea is $12.00. There are approximately 25 servings in a tin.
Contact Info:
- Email: carriagehousetea@gmail.com
- Website: carriagehousetea.com
- Instagram: carriagehousetea
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarriageHouseTea
Image Credits
Mary Murkin
