For over 19 years Elena Effler has been in the business of bringing storybook tales to life, but after almost losing it all to the pandemic, fully opening her Bixby tea room location has been a “dream come true.”
The pink walls of Dream Come True Tea and Party Room set the tone to the Marie Antoinette meets Alice in Wonderland setting where children and adults can enjoy tea, sandwiches, salads and pastries.
The eclectic artwork that lines the walls has been collected by Effler through the years, through her mobile party business origins, to her first location.
As a reminder of her own perseverance, Effler has a portrait near the entrance of two girls in Victorian dresses and powder pink and blue wigs holding teacups.
“About 20 years ago, somebody gave me a little postcard of that print and I said ‘One day I’m going to have a tea room and I’m going to blow it up really big on the wall,’ so that was one of the first things that I did,” Effler said.
Elena Effler, owner of the Dream Come True Tea & Party Room stands near the front door of her tea room on Aug. 18, 2021. The picture behind her is a postcard she once received and promised herself that she would blow it up and put it on the wall if she ever owned a tea room. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune) 
A china cabinet is nearly bursting full at Dream Come True Tea & Party Room on Aug. 18, 2021. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)
However, in 2020 Effler was fighting to keep her business alive.
When the March 2020 lockdown struck, Effler—like many other business owners—was forced to close her party room by the same name, then located on Studebaker Road.
As the businesses in the shopping center around her started to suffer, Effler wondered if her fate would be the same, unable to find flexibility with rent during the early days of the pandemic.
One fateful drive down Atlantic Avenue changed her trajectory.
“I was driving down the street and I saw the for lease sign [for the building],” Effler said. “And I was like ‘No way, I’m going to call.’”
The building had been home to Elise’s Tea Room, who after 24 years closed due to the “prolonged financial responsibilities” brought on by the pandemic closure, Elise’s announced on Facebook in April 2020.
The rental conditions for the Atlantic location worked for Effler and after years of fantasizing about the space, she got the keys in May 2020.
“I felt like it was meant to be and I was never going to ever have this chance again, so I went for it,” Effler said, noting it was her first foray into food service.
A small sign warns people not to mess with fairies next to the jars of tea at the Dream Come True Tea & Party Room in Bixby Knolls on Aug. 18, 2021. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune) 
Jars filled with different types of tea line the front desk of the Dream Come True Tea & Party Room in Bixby Knolls on Aug. 18, 2021. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)
For four and a half months, Effler and her mother carried out renovations, painting the candy-colored walls and ceiling mural.
In November 2020, Effler opened the restaurant for outdoor dining, but the joy was short-lived.
A winter surge in COVID cases forced Effler to close Dream Come True.
“Even after I got it I almost lost it because they shut us down only two weeks after having the grand opening,” she said. “It took all the money I had to open the place and I couldn’t make any money.”
Adapting to COVID-19 regulations
Not ready to close the chapter in her fairy tale, Effler, “A professional fairy,” as she calls herself, started to offer socially distanced events for children.
For $15 kids were able to pick up a craft kit and join “Fairy Lulu” on Zoom for a Sugar Plum Fairy doll workshop.
Effler also began offering themed “drive-by parades.” The service brought a little bit of the tea room’s magic to people’s front yards, with colorful tents and chandeliers, plush unicorns and life-sized candy props.
Character parades soon joined the list of services, where a decorated car would drive by special events carrying a fairytale character to brighten a child’s celebration.
Opening the Tea & Party Room
These days, after the state has reopened, Effler is happy to show guests the party room and tea house wing straight out of the pages of a storybook.
“I’ve always loved tea and beautiful dishes and pretty little things,” Effler said.
A hot pink cupboard full of vintage tea sets that would make the Mad Hatter proud sits in a corner across from a fully equipped tea counter.
The counter features approximately 45 different types of tea from black tea, to herbal, fruit and Chai teas.
Guests can choose from an array of tea sandwiches like sesame-crusted chicken salad on wheat or apricot ham on wheat, toast, salads, scones and desserts to pair with the tea.
The adjacent blue party room is ready for those who want a whimsical event experience. It is typically used for baby and bridal showers, celebrations of life and more.
The large room features long tables with eclectic seating—colorful velvet sofas, clear lucite chairs with Marie Antoinette pillows, and floral garlands overhead.
“I love the Marie Antoinette style, with a little modern twist,” Effler said. “I like to mix modern and vintage.”
The main attraction for children, however, is the gargantuan castle that doubles as a costume closet.
“I just love seeing the kids’ faces when they see the characters when we open up the castle closet,” Effler said.
Children are able to dress up in the costumes for parties with options ranging from fairy tale princesses to superheroes.
With multiple touches of make-believe, children often don’t want to leave at the end of the party, Effler noted.
Her favorite part of the day, however, is the countdown just before guests step into the dream world of the tea room.
“You have butterflies and you’re nervous ‘What if they don’t like it?’ And 99% of the time, they like it,” Effler said. “It gives you that rush.”
Through the obstacles, Effler continues to get that rush as she writes a new chapter in her Dream Come True journey.
“I had a vision and I stuck to it and I got to see it through,” Effler said. “Don’t give up, if you do have a dream definitely just keep chipping away at it and it will eventually happen.”
To stay up to date with Dream Come True Tea and Party Room follow them on Instagram @Dreamcometrueteaandpartyroom or visit their website for a list of services.
Dream Come True Tea and Party Room is located at 3924 Atlantic Avenue. The Tea Room is opened Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for walk-ins and reservations. Reservations required for weekends and for Party Room.
