55 Thomas Street, M4 1NA
I came across this when someone replied to a tweet I’d
posted calling for other examples of Creative Cafés. I’d asked whether there
were people who wrote in cafés. A writer replied that she thought
she might like to write here.
Teacup is situated in Manchester’s atmospheric Northern
Quarter, in street that is awash with distinctive cafés and restaurants. Teacup is a
very apt name. The café specialises in all sorts of teas. Its cakes, too, are
delicious.
Is it a creative café, though? It’s certainly not the place
to go if you want some peace and quiet. The place buzzes. I met a friend there
and we were shown to a table straight away. The whole time we were there people were
arriving and leaving and when we finally left, there was a queue. But sometimes
creative practitioners want to get away from the isolation and be in with the
crowd. It would certainly provide a blocked writer with plenty of stories.
It isn’t cheap. Our round of two speciality teas and two
slices of cake came to about £15.00. But this included a refill of the teapots
which provided a couple of cups anyway.
There was an element, too, of rent-a-table. My friend and I were there
from three until four forty. It was a little like the Viennese coffee houses
are now. Full, good quality, and with a broad hint of the artistic exchange
that used to go on. The difference here is that the hint is for potential artistic
exchange.
That creative interaction is visible. A couple of people on
their own were surfing the net. Another couple were discussing a theatre
project. My friend and I were meeting anyway to discuss logistics and marketing
for our choir’s events. Good creative practitioner stuff, then.
In any case, if providing cake and tea is an art form, and I
think it is, this café is abundantly creative.
