Brewing up a Victorian venture
Cathy Gunterman's business involves hosting tea parties for all ages.
Gunterman brings a little history to the table as well.
Gunterman dresses up as a queen from Victorian times when hosting tea parties throughout the area. She launched her business, Tea with Lady Catherine, about three months ago. The business owner enjoys educating partygoers about the origins of tea and other history from the Victorian era.
She often hosts parties at assisted living and senior living facilities as well as showers and children's birthday parties. Gunterman, 43, brings a variety of tea, cups, saucers and her teapot collection.
"I have teapots from all over the world," she said.
The idea for the business developed through Gunterman's full-time job as a nurse's aide at Victory Lakes Assisted Living in Lake Villa. She started hosting tea parties there and received requests to hold the events at other locations.
Gunterman and her husband, Mike, who works in shipping and receiving in Wheeling, are raising two sons in Round Lake Beach. Paul is 18 and Erik is 17. Gunterman grew up in Mount Prospect.
The cost for a tea party is about $125 for 35 people or about $10 per person for smaller gatherings.
For more information, call (312) 231-6942 or check out www.TeaWithLadyCatherine.com.
Design designations: Interiors Decorating Den, a large home interior franchise organization, recently honored local interior decorators and franchise owners Lucy Joyce and Joan Suzio with top awards.
Winners were selected based on their design excellence and creative problem-solving.
Joyce won first place for her design transformation of a family room.
Suzio was awarded the company's Premier Award and the President's Club Award.
The women, independent business owners, serve clients in Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Kildeer, Hawthorn Woods, Libertyville and several other Lake County towns.
A new home: The Barrington Home Shoppe, formerly the Canterbury Shoppe, is in a new location at the historic Ice House Mall, 200 Applebee St. in Barrington.
Owners Rusty Hernandez and Cynthia Bear expanded the collection of upscale artisan gifts, fine tabletop items, home accents, one-of-a-kind artisan furnishings and holiday collectibles. The store had outgrown its space.
The Canterbury Shoppe had been recognized by Chicago Magazine as one of the area's "best stores to shop" while being named one of the top stores in Illinois by Vietri and Mariposa, two luxury table-top and home accessory brands.
Now open: North Shore Academy of Martial Arts, Libertyville's oldest martial arts studio, is celebrating a move to a new location this weekend.
The grand opening celebration takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 281 Peterson Road.
Activities include door prizes, martial arts demonstrations and family activities.
"Our ten years of growth in Libertyville has allowed us to expand to a much bigger studio. The new location will have additional class space, a workout room, personal trainers available for parents who want to work out while their children are taking lessons, and a sibling playroom," said owner and instructor Marc Halleck.
The center is open to students from 3 to 99 years old. The studio offers training in jun fan/jeet kune do, Filipino kali and eskirma, Indonesian silat, muay Thai boxing, shooto and popular tae kwon do.
For more information, call (847) 573-1672 or check out www.nsama.com.