Kate Bartlett
Lana’s The Little House is perhaps one of the most unique places in Western New York. It is nestled on 21 acres in the woods along the Chautauqua Ridge offering not only picturesque views, but a delightful Tea experience as well. “For something truly special, people love Lana’s The Little House. The secret, storybook English cottage is located about an hour outside Buffalo in Forestville, NY and offers Tea & Tour, Lodging and Tea Shopping online or at the cottage. It is open year-round by reservation. When you visit, it is just you during your reserved timeframe. We keep the address a secret on purpose. It is a memorable experience. “
Guests visit for the Tea & Tour. “You are here about 3 hours and the tour is first. I share many stories about how the house was built and how I found it. We tour the entire cottage. Guests are welcome to roam the grounds and garden. After the tour, you are ready for your tea, scones, butter tarts and tea sandwiches. I focus on the art of great tea and proper preparation of tea. I have over 80 blends of world class teas. You may try as many blends as you wish while here. After the Tea & Tour, guests are welcome to shop our tea store where we have our teas, tea ware and treats for purchase.” The Tea Shop is also available online. Lana has been shipping her teas to tea lovers around the US and Canada since 2007.
The house was originally built by two 30-year-old men who were mathematicians, artists and world travelers. It is handcrafted and the materials used to build the house came from the property. Lana is the fourth owner of the property, and the first to live here full time as her primary residence. “It is a beautiful piece of artwork. Each day I am thankful to live here.”
While Lana was born and raised in Buffalo NY, she went to school in Vermont and lived her early years in New York City, where she began her career in the field of employee benefits consulting. Eventually, her work brought her back to Buffalo, but next she found herself on the road living in many cities. “As I got older, I thought about where I wanted to stay put and keep doing my employee benefits consulting work. I decided to focus on Buffalo and Western New York. I looked off and on for a special place – something little and different. In July, 2001 I came upon a real estate listing for The Little House in Buffalo Business First Newspaper. It caught my attention, bought it and moved in on September 10, 2001, the day before 9/11.”
“I made acquaintances with locals in the Fredonia area and folks came to visit and were not aware the house existed. It was kept a secret all these years. I quickly became inundated with phone calls and subsequent visitors, It became Disneyland and started to interfere with my work deadlines. After 15 months, I decided to stop my old work and turn the house into a business and do architecture tours. Opening day was June 21 2003. The house was called The Little House when I bought it, so the business name became Lana’s The Little House.”
Lana continued to listen to her guests, eager to please and enrich their experience. “Guests asked for more than just the tour and I kept a list of their ideas, which is over 360 ideas long. I ranked in order of popularity, which is how the teas got started in November, 2003. People were begging for a cup of tea after the tour, and it was such a good idea. I also had several requests for a gift shop at the cottage and an online tea shop, both of which began in 2007.”
She began to offer lodging in 2018. In March 2020, overnight accommodations were put on hold due to COVID. “We miss hosting our lodgers who also enjoy teatime in the morning before departure. We plan to host lodgers again in the near future.”
Lana always provides top shelf service, products and experiences. She loves meeting local and international visitors and providing a memorable experience. She recommends Ellicottville as a must-see place to visit while in the area. “I love the charm of Ellicottville with its lovely shops and restaurants nestled in a gorgeous setting. We are so lucky to have the beautiful Ellicottville community here in Western New York.”