Celebrating 10 years steeped in the tea business

Owner casts her eye on a new future FREDON — The Tea Hive has become a tradition for many women and their daughters. Hats are encouraged and luncheons and teas are served on antique china. Now The Tea Hive, which is housed in a historic house built in 1793, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Owned by Julie Shotwell, The Tea Hive is “a place where one can get away from the hustle and bustle of life and relax and enjoy an elegant tea lunch, a variety of afternoon teas, or just tea for one in the ambiance of the historic house.” “It has been such a great experience,” Shotwell said of 10 years in business, “We never dreamed it would be so wonderful, rewarding and such a fulfilling time in our lives...The Tea Hive is a dream come true.” First, there was teaching The adopted child of a doctor mom and chemist dad, Julie Shotwell lived in Glen Rock until she was eight and her dad bought a 365-acre farm on Plotts Road in Hampton Township. He still commuted to his job in Paterson for years after that, but the family was settled in the country away from the hubbub. When Shotwell was 16, she began dating a football player named TR Shotwell, whom she married after graduation from college. She went to college to be a physical education teacher but soon changed her major to special education and discovered her calling. “I was very happy teaching and being a mom and farm wife. My job was challenging, but extremely rewarding. I always felt I got as much, if not more from the students than they got from me.” She said this brought her years of joyful teaching, but she still longed to help them and other students, even more with their social and emotional needs, so she returned to college and earned her masters in counseling. “This made my school experience even more fulfilling. I have been fortunate to always have such wonderful support from my husband, children, friends and colleagues.” As Shotwell approached age 55 and her 32nd year of teaching, she began to think of retirement. “I had dreamed for years of someday opening a tea room, and I wanted to leave teaching while I still loved what I was doing. I had accomplished my goals in education and had been fortunate enough to earn a few awards along the way.” Shotwell was the first Teacher of the Year in Green Township, Sussex County School Counselor of the Year and nominated six times by students to Who’s Who of American Teachers “These were exciting accomplishments,“ she said, “But not as important as the daily interaction with the kids everyday and helping them to begin to find their way and to believe in themselves.” And then there was tea In 1999 she retired and bought an old house in Fredon to turn into another dream: a tea room. “Many thought I had lost my mind, although, I, the optimist, always believed it would be fine,” she recalled. Shotwell’s younger daughter, Kristi, was a trained chef and looking to do something as well, decided she would join forces with mom. “We both love to decorate and shop, so it was sure fun to turn this old house into a tea room. Fortunately, Kristi’s creativity as a chef helped us to create a wonderful lunch and tea menu,” said Julie. Her older daughter, Jenny helped coin the name The Tea Hive because of an old bee hive oven on the premises. With a lot of fun and work, The Tea Hive was born as the only tea room in Sussex County. “People everywhere seemed to want to share in the excitement with us and came from everywhere to enjoy tea and lunch with us,” Shotwell said. Soon, they had to take reservations and enlarge the parking lot. Something new is a Sunday Brunch. “People have always wanted us to be open Sundays, but we were reluctant. We didn’t want to commit to every Sunday, so we decided on the first Sunday of the month and it has been well received. It is a completely different menu and fun to do.” Now, maybe something new Now, after a decade of being the queen bee at The Tea Hive, Shotwell is looking forward to traveling and devoting more time to her favorite non-profit, The Center for Prevention and Counseling. To this end, The Tea Hive is for sale. “We are looking for someone to buy it, love it and keep it going.”