MARYSVILLE — Last year, Marysville’s Attic Secrets won second place for the top five tea houses in KING 5’s “Best of Western Washington” contest, which drew nearly 192,000 votes.

This year, nearly 403,000 votes were cast in KING 5’s “Best of Western Washington” contest, and of the 20 tea houses nominated, Attic Secrets came in first place.

Happi Favro opened Attic Secrets in 1991, making it the oldest tea room in Snohomish County and the second-oldest tea room in Washington state, but she doesn’t take its success for granted.

“With the economy we’ve been down a little bit, but the loyalty of our customers has seen us through,” Favro said. “It’s a real honor for a small little restaurant like ours to do so well when we’re going up against so many bigger establishments, and we have our customers to thank for that.”

Favro attributed Attic Secrets’ appeal among its customers to the service and atmosphere that she and her staff strive to provide.

“We haven’t changed any of our staff in more than five years,” Favro said. “People tend to think of tea rooms as places where British people drink from China cups with their pinkies in the air, but that’s not us. We’re fluffy, not stuffy. We offer hearty foods, from salads to home-baked sandwiches, in more of a cafe atmosphere where we’ll pamper you with extra cookies.”

Favro noted that Attic Secrets is a regular stop for a number of cancer patients, many of who come straight from their treatments at the Everett Clinic, just a couple of blocks east of the tea room. Favro and her staff also conduct home deliveries for their older customers, which is one of the measures she believes has engendered such loyalty from those same customers in turn.

“We have our die-hards who we see here every day,” Favro said. “It’s fun to step outside your normal atmosphere.”

To that end, Favro is inviting the community to attend a customer appreciation celebration at Attic Secrets, Nov. 20 from 5-8 p.m., where free sweets will be available. Dec. 4 will serve as another red-letter day for the restaurant, when Santa Claus stops by to see the children.

“Our Santa has been with us for nine years,” said Favro, who encouraged patrons to make their reservations early. “Every hour that he’s there, we usually get about 60 new kids. It’s our biggest event next to Mother’s Day.”

Attic Secrets is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. From more information, visit their location in Suite 101 at 4229 76th St. NE in Marysville, call 360-659-7305, e-mail atticsecrets_tearoom@yahoo.com or log onto www.atticsecrets.com.