Patti Fitzpatrick was a regular at The Talking Teacup, a combination tearoom and gift shop in Chalfont. She visited so often that she and the owner, Kathy Heck, became friends. When Heck was taken by ovarian cancer in 2019, Fitzpatrick not only missed her, but she also missed the spot in which they socialized. TaRhonda Thomas covered her next move for 6abc.

As evidence that their customer-shopkeeper connection had evolved into a deep friendship, Fitzpatrick cites a letter Heck wrote her before her passing. The note included advice about grabbing a dream and not letting go.

Fitzpatrick took the message as encouragement to revive the teahouse, which had gone dark before Heck’s passing, as she weakened and could no longer tend to it.

“There was a nudge,” Fitzpatrick said in describing her friend’s advice. “Like somebody kept saying, ‘Go for it! Go for it! Go for it!’”

Fitzpatrick knew, however, she couldn’t relaunch this business on her own. She partnered with Nicole Boyer, who wasn’t a businesswoman but was just as enthusiastic about the revival of the teahouse.

Together, they handled all the details, including a site remodel that paid tribute to the design details favored by original owner Heck.

“She loved that wallpaper,” Fitzpatrick said, referring to the interior wall covering.

Since the opening, the tea business in Chalfont has been, well, brisk.

More on The Talking Teacup is at 6abc.