Maudie MacBride was born in 1882 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was the grandmother of Carole’s husband Todd, and became the inspiration behind the quaint boutique that first opened on Grand Avenue in St. Paul twenty one years ago. She lived and loved during that highly romantic and elegant era from the Gay 90's through the turn of the century and the roaring 20's. The book about her life is available at the Tea Cottage.