Introducing Ella Williams

I’m so excited to introduce you to Ella Williams. Ella is 39 years old and has two children – a 15-year-old and a three-year-old. She and her partner have been together for ten years, married for five. She owns a social enterprise that is a mobile tearoom, Posh Teatime &Co., which specializes in bringing a luxury afternoon tea party to people’s home or venue. As a social enterprise, Ella’s organization works with non-profits like Huckleberry House to teach etiquette classes, home economics, and life skills classes for at-risk youth.

I met Ella through Sherrice Thomas of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce when she posted about a Posh Teatime event and after watching Ella’s posts for a while, I just knew I had to meet her and doing so has completely enriched my friendship circle. When you spend time with Ella, there is by default laughter in the air. I hope you enjoy this opportunity to get to know her a bit here.

Charlene: Ella, I must admit being partial to afternoon tea and you must hear all the time that your scones are AMAZING. How did you come up with the idea for Posh Teatime &Co.?

Ella: The idea for Posh Teatime came up when my husband and I traveled overseas after my mother had passed away and I just kind of needed to get away. We were in Italy – Rome, Venice, and Milan. When we were in Rome, we stayed at the Fendi Villa Laetitia and it was absolutely amazing. In that hotel you see all the sketches adorning the walls of the artists from the Fendi family. We woke up in the morning and we had this opulent breakfast and tea. It was divine. You walk into the room and there’s this domed room with Italian cherub babies on the ceiling and all this Romanesque artwork with flowers and roses everywhere. It was gorgeous. And I kept thinking, “I want this in Columbus. This opulence and grandeur. Nobody’s doing that.” I first started having tea parties in my home during Covid, intimate tea parties with all the vintage teacups and crystal accessories. And I love to bake, so I would make from scratch all the scones and sandwiches and give an authentic, luxury experience using really good quality loose tea. There is a ton of work hosting a vintage, authentic tea party. You must wash nearly everything by hand – it takes forever! And that’s where the idea came from. If this type of experience was going to come to Columbus, I could be the one to make it happen.

Charlene: Did you always want your own business or was it more accidental?

Ella: I think subconsciously I’ve always wanted my own business and I just didn’t know it. For me, I love the safety of getting a paycheck. But I’m very independent and strong-willed. And so, I don’t like in the office when people tell me to do things. I don’t like being told what to do!

Charlene: When I got introduced to tea, it was the traditional British tea set-up. But there are so many cultural ties to tea. What is your cultural tie to tea?

Ella: My mother is originally from Mississippi. Before she would get really bad schizophrenic episodes, she would always make tea for us at home. She would get mugs of tea and make tea cakes. She would make homemade biscuits in her cast iron skillet, served with honey. That was my first real introduction to tea. Later, I was the first employee of Zen Cha Tea Salon in the Short North, which is more of an Asian-inspired tearoom. There I got to learn about different teas, how to steep and brew them and it always stayed with me.

Charlene: What is the one thing about tea that you wish more people knew?

Ella: I wish people would understand that tea is not just an Asian or European experience. My husband is Moroccan, and tea is intrinsic to their culture. There are so many tea ceremonies around the world. Tea has been around before coffee and is still one of the most popular beverages worldwide. I just want people to get out of the idea that it is a European or white society ceremony. I think sometimes people think it’s a space that Black people can’t occupy, when historically, especially in America, there was a history of Black-owned tea rooms that were used for social gatherings. Especially during the time where you had up and coming more wealthy Black Americans occupying spaces and becoming entrepreneurs and they had tearooms and tea gatherings. They had cotillions. All types of reasons to have tea. I just want people to get more comfortable and aligned with that. Tea is not a space occupied only by Asian and White people.

Charlene: What’s the biggest lesson that you’ve learned after venturing into your own business? What were some of your AHA moments in the process?

Ella: For me, it took a while to get used to the idea that I am my branding. Initially, I wouldn’t post my picture; it was all about the tea and the tea products. And I didn’t want people to really know who I was or know the face behind the brand. But I realized in this year that I had to pivot and really highlight that I am my brand, even down to the networking – dressing like I’m going to a Tea Party. At any type of networking event or outward facing event I dress on brand. Some days I just want to wear jeans. But it’s so fun once I get dressed up and do it. And then people see you and they’re like, “Oh my God, you look like you are going to a Tea Party”, and they love it.

Charlene: Does it make you feel more vulnerable? Does it put you in an uncomfortable space where you can’t hide?

Ella: You do become more vulnerable because you feel like, okay, people really know who I am, or sometimes I just want to walk into a room and kind of be quiet. Or, you know, I’ve always been told because I’m tall, I’m Black, and I have a loud voice that projects – I’ve just always kind of stood out. Getting more into my corporate roles. I’ve been told to dampen who I am and not be so vibrant.

Charlene: There’s almost no woman among us that hasn’t been told to be less than her full self. The more I read, the more I recognize that Black women have had that sentiment delivered harsher than anyone else. And one of the things I love about you is the vibrancy of your laugh. Your laugh brings me such joy. So, I hope that dampening doesn’t happen anymore.

Ella: I had a wonderful White mentor when I was a call center rep. I kept working to get promoted and to get into a lead role and it just wasn’t happening. I was younger and going through my rebellious phase – I had nose and tongue piercings and just not as refined as I am now. I didn’t think that it mattered. I was great at my job. I had the best numbers but couldn’t get promoted. My manager, my White mentor, was honest with me. She told me I needed to get myself put together. At first, I felt offended, but I knew she was coming from a place to try to help me. And so, I determined to change how I presented myself – lost weight, removed piercings, and dressed more modestly. Literally a year later I got promoted to a job in Houston, Texas. Times are changing now and we are seeing more flexibility with what professionalism means, but not when I first started out!

Charlene: You’ve mentioned your mom a few times. Can you share a little bit about your history?

Ella: I have six siblings, but my sister Joy and I, grew up with our mother who had severe schizophrenia. It was at a point where all of our other siblings had been taken away from her and either put in foster homes or given to other family members in Mississippi. My sister and I were the only children that she got to raise. Due to my mother’s mental illness, we were in and out of foster care a lot during my childhood. The last time was when I was about 16 years old. They wanted to split my sister and I up because no home wanted to take two teenagers at the time. So, I reached out to Huckleberry House and that’s how I got into that program.

My mom was always an amazing woman. She used to work at the bank, having moved with her mom from Mississippi to here. I think her life events led to some of her mental health challenges. Her mother was shot and killed here in Columbus. She was killed by her boyfriend at the time. It impacted the whole family and for my mother, it hit her mental health. She was never able to get back on the right track until she was much older. When she was in her 50s, we were able to get her on the right medicine and the other help she needed so that she could manage her illness. Even though my mother heard voices to say and do things, I always knew that she loved us and that she had a good heart. No matter what, her goal in life was to fiercely protect us. She showed me that you can be strong, you can be a survivor, and you can take care of your family while fighting a mental illness. With the right cocktail of meds, she became really happy. She loved her grandkids. I’m happy to say she had an amazing life before she passed away a few years ago.

Charlene: I’ve loved spending time with you. Before we wrap up, who are your inspirations? Which women do you look up to?

Ella: My mom is always going to be a big inspiration for me. She was able to overcome so many things. Celebrity-wise, Shonda Rhimes is an inspiration for me. She’s able to break down so many barriers. She’s been able to change the perspective of how Black women and professionals look on TV. I also really like Tabitha Brown. She a Black, vegan chef, owns vegan restaurants and is on the Food Network. She’s broken down so many walls, especially for people like me who love to cook and bake. And there’s not a lot of Black representation on the Food Network.

I hope that you have enjoyed getting to know Ella Williams with me. I encourage you to visit her website: Posh Teatime. Host a tea party, buy a gift basket, or stock up on loose-leaf tea. In addition, join Ella and the Black American Muslim Community Center for a ladies-only high tea on Sunday, April 30^th: Ladies High Tea Party Tickets, Sun, Apr 30, 2023 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite. Alternatively, join Posh Teatime for a Mother’s Day Tea Party on 14 May: https://www.eventbrite.com/manage/events/565729812097/tickets.