But, it was a visit to the charming French café/bakery Maman in New York City’s Soho neighborhood later that same year that confirmed Ariel’s vision and made her fall in love with a color scheme that soon became central to her sourced and made-to-order collection. “The café uses assorted blue-and-white china pieces that, despite being mismatched, all somehow go together in this rustically chic and elegant way.” She was hooked, and The Brooklyn Teacup was born.
“We specialize in taking vintage ‘pre-loved’ china and transforming it into a variety of functional items, from tiered stands and serving trays to jewelry and holiday ornaments,” says Ariel. “We carry our own inventory of china but also offer an upcycling service whereby we receive china from customers, transform it into any of a number of options, and send it back.” And because she finds pieces she falls in love with along the way that are just too good not to pick up, The Brooklyn Teacup, which Ariel now runs online and out of the garden level of her larger, two-story Park Slope apartment, also has a vintage section, where she sells a variety of ready-made teaware, dinnerware, glassware, and home accessories.
