Fort Lee’s Tea Bar Reopens More Than a Month After Sandy

The café and restaurant on Palisade Avenue had only been open under new ownership for about a month when the storm dramatically altered the owners’ plans for change.

The Tea Bar in Fort Lee opened under new ownership in September with innovative ideas for how to retain the best parts of the existing business while adding their own unique touches. Less than a month later, Sandy hit, and the Lee family—Seung and Hyun Lee and their son and daughter Ryan and Kris—were forced to close because of severe damage to the building and the common space of the plaza at 1636 Palisade Ave. It took nearly three weeks before scaffolding was put up and repair work began because of delays with the landlord, the borough and permit issues, and the family-owned and operated café wasn’t able to re-open until Dec. 1. Now back in business but with repair work an ongoing process, it could be a while before the exterior of the …

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