The Spice and Tea Exchange opens in Ridgewood

On Friday, May 3, The Spice and Tea Exchange of Ridgewood, New Jersey will hold their official Grand Opening ribbon-cutting event. Though the shop has been operating since late February of this year, this inauguration (hosted in part by the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and Village Council) will celebrate the shop’s progress with special discounts, inviting customers along for the ride to its bright future.

Lynn Kenney—who serves as owner of the new Ridgewood shop—is excited for this new chapter in the 89-store franchise’s history, as well as her own. Having earned a Master’s degree in Food Studies from NYU in her youth, she once thought she would become a food writer or critic. Though a job in public relations led to a thirty-year career in the corporate space instead, Kenney is proud to finally step into a role that draws upon her love for food culture.

“I’m really interested in spices and salts, and so every once in a while I would just research businesses that had that,” said Kenney when recalling her journey to The Spice and Tea Exchange. “This franchise kind of popped out at me about two and a half, three years ago as different, and it’s because of the experience of the jars—of making (the tea and spices) in store. It’s not just a tea-spice shop that you’re running. It’s something that I can actually be involved with and be a part of. That was important to me.”

At Kenney’s Spice and Tea Exchange store, she makes it a point for herself or one of her seven employees to greet guests at the door, welcoming them into what could easily be called a sensory wonderland. Customers are introduced to over 65 looseleaf teas, all of which line the walls in jars that are encouraged to be opened and smelled. Customers can even ask for these teas to be brewed in the shop’s in-house station to enjoy a refreshment as they shop.

Guests also have the opportunity to check out a wide variety of spices and peppers (including six different varieties of paprika), along with an array of fused olive oils, honeys, and sugars, recipes, and kitchen accouterments.

In regards to the future, Kenney has plans to make her shop the site of events focused on relaxation, such as tea tastings and food history seminars. Above all, she hopes for The Spice and Tea Exchange in Ridgewood to become a hub for the community that she lives in and loves.

“This is my community, so all of my friends pop in,” said Kenney, smiling. “When I worked in corporate America, I never saw anybody. I was a workaholic there and didn’t have any connections. Now I’m a workaholic here, but all I have are connections.”