Have you ever visited a place that felt familiar the moment you walked through the door? A place where the world seemed to slow down, conversation came easily, and, for a little while, life felt lighter? That feeling lives at Tea Strings Tea Parlor and Guitar Shop. Located at 210 North Main Street, the 1917 Craftsman-style bungalow has quietly witnessed the changing rhythm of Swainsboro for more than a century. Resting beneath its wide, low-pitched roofline on a gentle hill next to two towering palm trees, the home waited patiently for someone to breathe life back into its aging walls.
When Emanuel County natives Brandon and Amanda Bell purchased the property in fall 2024, they knew it was the place for a dream they had quietly imagined together for years: a space where music, comfort, conversation, and community could coexist beneath one roof.
“Our goal was to create a space for people to come in, sit for a spell, and love on the people around them and pour into the people around them. That’s what it’s all about,” Amanda shared.
Since opening on April 24, 2025, the Bells have accomplished exactly that. The bungalow has become far more than a tea parlor and guitar shop. It has grown into a gathering place where every teapot is chosen with intention, every cup is poured with care, and every guest is invited to slow down long enough to feel at home.
For Amanda, creating that sense of welcome has always been central to Tea Strings.
“I want them to feel Jesus, peace, and joy when they walk through the door,” she said. “I want people to feel like they have a safe, calming space away from the judgments of others and the pressures of life.”
While the vision of Tea Strings has always centered on creating a place of peace, connection, and refuge, the heart of Tea Strings began long before shelves lined with old books and vintage teacups or guitars hung against the walls. What now feels woven into the fabric of downtown Swainsboro once existed only as a quiet dream shared between two people determined to build something meaningful together, that story begins with music.
“The majority of my life, I’ve been a musician,” Amanda explained. “Brandon and I met back in 2001 when I was looking for a bass player for a little thing we were doing in the county called Crossroads.”
Crossroads wasn’t a formal organization but a group of people from churches around the county who gathered once a month to play music, sing, and spend time together.
“Our love of music brought us together,” Amanda said. “From that point on, we played together, and that’s really where the musical aspect of Tea Strings comes from.”
After marrying, the Bells spent weekends exploring places like Charleston, Savannah, and Atlanta, where Amanda discovered tucked-away tea houses and fell in love with the experience.
“It wasn’t really the tea itself at first,” she said. “It was what happened around it.”
As the Bells learned more about tea culture, they realized it wasn’t simply about what was in the cup, but who gathered around it.
“Tea takes time to steep, and while you’re waiting, you’re talking. You’re spending time together. You’re being present,” she said. “Everything great first begins with conversation and the time that you give to someone.”
That realization reminded Amanda of childhood visits to her grandmother’s house.
“I remember sitting at Granny’s house while coffee brewed in her percolator,” she said. “Nobody was in a hurry. We would sit and enjoy each other’s company while we waited. That’s the feeling I wanted to bring to Tea Strings.”
Today, that philosophy lives in every corner of the tea parlor. Amanda has built a collection through the years by searching estate sales and antique shops for vintage teapots, delicate China, and unique teacups to make each guest’s experience feel personal.
“You could drink tea from a plain white coffee mug and it would taste the same,” she laughed. “But there’s just something about having tea in a pretty little cup and taking time to enjoy the experience.”
Often, those pieces become conversation starters.
“People will pick up a teacup and say, ‘Oh, my grandmother had this same set in her China cabinet,’” Amanda said. “It brings back memories they may not have thought about in years.”
One memory, in particular, stands out.
A few weeks back, two sisters visited Tea Strings and selected teacups for the afternoon. One quietly approached Amanda holding her cup.
“She told me her sister, who had passed away a few years ago, owned the exact same teacup,” Amanda recalled. “She said using it that day felt like they were having tea with her again.”
For Amanda, moments like that are what it’s all about.
“If we can help someone feel close to a memory, a grandmother, a mother, or someone they loved, then we’ve done what we set out to do.”
While the mission of Tea Strings has always been to create a place of comfort, connection, and belonging for the community, the Bells are giving back in another way as well. According to Amanda and Brandon, Tea Strings is the only Tea Parlor/Guitar Shop in America and possibly the world. In bringing such a distinctive concept to life, they have given Swainsboro something truly special, an experience that cannot be found anywhere else.
While tea and music may be what first welcome visitors through the door, togetherness remains at the heart of Tea Strings. That sense of connection was born from Amanda and Brandon's own experiences growing up, where some of life's most meaningful moments happened in the company of family and friends. Amanda remembers gatherings where guitars were passed around the room, songs were shared, and everyone joined in.
“My uncle would pull out their guitars, and we’d sit around singing together,” Amanda recalled. “Those are some of my favorite memories.”
Music also became a refuge.
“If I needed to escape from life for a little while, I would go sit at my piano,” Amanda said. “For Brandon, it was his guitar.”
That belief in music’s power led the Bells to make musical education a cornerstone of Tea Strings. Lessons are offered for guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, ukulele, chord piano, and modern worship music for ages eight through ninety-eight, at $112 per month, which includes four 30-minute sessions. The focus is on accessibility, confidence-building, and creating a positive outlet for self-expression.
“We live in such a fast-paced world. Kids have so many distractions and pressures. Music gives them a healthy outlet. It teaches confidence, creativity, patience, and can become a bridge,” Amanda explained. “You can pull a guitar out at a gathering and suddenly conversations start. It connects people.”
For the Bells, some of the most rewarding moments happen not during a performance, but in the quiet moments of growth when a student begins to believe in themselves.
“You can see it on their face when it finally clicks,” Brandon shared. “They go from thinking they can’t do it to realizing they can.”
That same spirit of connection extends beyond lessons and tea service. The Bells regularly host Tea & Jam Sessions, spotlighting local musicians and creating opportunities for artists to share their talents. Future plans include front porch picking sessions and tea-and-painting events designed to bring people together through creativity and conversation.
“There’s room for everyone at the table, and we want everyone to feel that way.” Amanda said.
That sense of community-mindedness also shapes the way the Bells commend and support fellow small business owners.
“If we don’t have something a customer is looking for, we’re happy to recommend another local business that does,” she said. “We want everyone around us to grow and succeed.”
That commitment to support others is reflected in every aspect of Tea Strings, including the menu itself. Visitors can enjoy a thoughtfully curated selection of teas and food offerings, many of which feature locally sourced ingredients, from the sauces and fresh microgreens to several of the teas served throughout the shop.
Among the most popular selections is the Crème Brûlée Earl Grey, a rich blend of bergamot and vanilla that has remained a signature favorite since Tea Strings first opened its doors. Another guest favorite is Parisian Dreams, a hibiscus and elderberry blend accented with butterfly pea flower that creates a striking ruby-purple infusion and requires no added sweetener. For those seeking herbal or decaffeinated options, flavors such as Banana Bread and Bourbon Chestnut have become especially beloved for their warm, comforting, and nostalgic taste profiles.
On the food side, guests most often gravitate toward the Thornfield and Heathcliff sandwiches. The Thornfield features toasted sourdough with Havarti, turkey, microgreens, pear, and plum sauce, while the Heathcliff is a slow-roasted roast beef sandwich finished with Havarti, homemade Vidalia onion jam, and a lemon-infused sauce on sourdough. The parlor is also known for its croissants, including almond croissants and seasonal fruit and cream varieties, each made through a three-day preparation process to ensure quality and intention.
For Amanda, the most rewarding part of Tea Strings isn’t the tea, the food, or even the music. It’s the people.
“When someone comes back and becomes a regular, that’s the best feeling,” she said. “It’s not about where they came from or how much they spent. It’s about the fact that they came back and we became a comforting place for them.”
Before our conversation ended, I asked Amanda what she hopes people carry with them after visiting Tea Strings. She smiled.
“Think of the best feeling you’ve ever had,” she said. “Maybe it’s a memory from your grandmother’s house. Maybe it’s being surrounded by people who love you. We want people to walk through our door and feel like their presence is significant.”
And perhaps that’s the best way to describe Tea Strings.
It’s not just a tea parlor. It’s not just a guitar shop.
It’s a place to sit for a spell, share a conversation, and remember what it feels like to be home.
Tea Strings is open Monday through Wednesday by appointment or limited operation, Thursday and Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM, and closed on Sunday.
