Ever since celebrating Mother’s Day at a teahouse 12 years ago, the Hale family—Dean, Susan, and their two daughters—dreamed of opening their own. By the time they were ready to make ELIZABETH AND ALEXANDER’S ENGLISH TEA ROOM a reality, daughter Sarah had married a Brit named Simon. (“Elizabeth and Alexander” comes from the couple’s middle names. “It sounded a lot more British than ‘Dean and Sue’s,’” says the patriarch.) With son-in-law as consultant, the Hales recreated a typical UK tearoom—chintzy china, cucumber-and-cream-cheese sandwiches, and a room named after Winston Churchill—where families could snack on homemade crumpets, tartlets, and what may be the best scones in Seattle. (Ask for lemon curd.)