Retail Watch: Ex-Troopers Turn Tea Dream Into Reality in Bethlehem

June 21, 2025

Two retired state troopers have teamed up to turn a 120-year-old home into a tearoom for a simple goal: to stimulate every sense for guests through beautiful architecture, music and the kind of tea that makes your tastebuds “explode.”

The Green House Tearoom opened June 4 at 403 Cherokee St. in Bethlehem, said Richard Graessel, who co-owns it with James Wheeler.

During sessions reserved ahead of time, guests can dine in three different dining rooms with teas like floral oolong and flavored green tea, sandwiches such as salmon with cheese and curried egg salad, and desserts like chocolate torte, chocolate-covered strawberries, macarons and scones.

Wheeler and Graessel met more than two decades ago working for the Pennsylvania State Police, when Wheeler was transferred from Chambersburg to Lehighton, where Graessel was stationed.

“They’ll put you for two days with someone who’s been in the area for a while just to show you the roads and your assigned zones and things like that,” Wheeler said. “So they put me with Rick, and it was two days of driving around with him and getting used to the area, and through talking we just found out that we have so many common interests. It was a friendship that started then and it just stayed there for the last 26 years.”

Graessel owns the Cherokee Street building, constructed in 1905 by Charles H. Green as his home. It’s now an apartment building.

Having thought of the tearoom idea in early 2023, the former state troopers worked for about a year starting in April 2024 to restore the building’s first floor to its original footprint and into the tearoom by removing two kitchens and bathrooms and making minor repairs.

“I started renovating after a tenant moved out and [Wheeler] was helping me on some projects and he came into the apartment and he was just like, ‘Wow, this place is amazing, you’ve got to do something with this, people need to see this,’” Graessel recalled. “And as the weeks went by, I’m like, ‘You know, he’s right. This is a neat place.’ It has some great architecture in it and I’d love to restore it because I have a passion for restoring old buildings and things like that.”

The tearoom, however, wasn’t any sort of lifelong dream for Graessel.

“It was just something that had popped up … my daughters went to one with my mom and they were talking about it and … it stuck in my head and I just happened to think it was a great business model for that old home,” he said.

The tearoom offers sessions from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Guests can reserve spots by calling 484-510-4466, emailing greenhousetearoom@gmail.com or visiting online .

The Green House Tearoom is seen Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Bethlehem. Two former state troopers opened the tearoom June 4; it serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Former state Trooper James Wheeler gives customers a tour Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Green House Tearoom in Bethlehem. Wheeler and fellow former Trooper Richard Graessel opened the tearoom June 4. It serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Former state Trooper James Wheeler gives customers a tour Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Green House Tearoom in Bethlehem. Wheeler and fellow former trooper Richard Graessel opened the tearoom June 4. It serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Former state Trooper James Wheeler stands in the Green Room on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Green House Tearoom in Bethlehem. Wheeler and fellow former trooper Richard Graessel opened the tearoom June 4. It serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Richard Graessel, left, and James Wheeler stand in front of The Green House Tearoom in Bethlehem. (Courtesy of Richard Graessel)

Sara Downing serves tea to customers Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Green House Tearoom in Bethlehem. Two former state troopers opened the tearoom June 4; it serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Sara Downing serves food to customers Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Green House Tearoom in Bethlehem. The tearoom, which two former state troopers opened this month, serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Sara Downing serves tea to customers Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Green House Tearoom in Bethlehem. The tearoom, which two former state troopers opened this month, serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Sara Downing seats customers Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Green House Tearoom in Bethlehem. The tearoom, which two former state troopers opened this month, serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)

Show Caption1 of 27The Green House Tearoom is seen Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Bethlehem. Two former state troopers opened the tearoom June 4; it serves a variety of tea, sandwiches and pastries. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call) Expand

Lehigh Valley retail and restaurant news in brief

Sunday’s Deli & Restaurant reopened Monday at 44 Front St. in Quakertown after it relocated from 140 E. Broad St. It offers gyros, eggs, pancakes, bacon, salads, pastries, onion rings and daily specials like eggplant parmesan and spanakopita.

Weil Antique Center will close June 30 at 2200 31st St. SW in Salisbury Township and reopen in September at the Parkway Shopping Center at 1471 Lehigh St. in Allentown.

The Little Things boutique opened May 30 at 412 Chestnut St. in Emmaus, where it rotates high-end brands and sells items like apparel, jewelry, candles and coasters.

The 1812 Piano Lounge will open Thursday at 1812 W. Allen St., it announced online , a slight delay from the tentative June 12 date previously reported .

Dollar Tree will likely open late this year at the Valley Plaza Shopping Center in the 1800 block of Catasauqua Road in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen reopened after it temporarily closed for maintenance June 11 at 1302 Hanover Ave. in Allentown.

The BP gas station chain has become a U-Haul dealer at 3562 Bath Pike in Hanover Township, Northampton County, a news release announced.

Bob’s Discount Furniture will open July 14 at 3764 Easton Nazareth Highway in Lower Nazareth Township, it announced online . It’ll replace the Staples office supply store that closed in November.

The Project Paw thrift store and cat cafe will close June 29 at 452 Northampton St. in Easton after three years of operation, the Center for Animal Health & Welfare announced . The center will provide details in July for alternative pet food bank opportunities like the ones Project Paw provided, and is currently hosting a 50%-discount closing sale for all items at the thrift store.

In other news

Two Lehigh Valley barbecue companies won at the BBQ Tasting Contest at the annual Blues, Brews, and BBQ festival last week in Allentown.

LenWood BBQ won for best meat and side dish while You Got Pork’D won for best sandwich.

“It was hard to vote at first, but testing the food side by side really helped us make our decisions,” Rosaria Stoops, CEO of the Friends of the Allentown Parks group that sponsored the contest, said in a release. “If you didn’t have them all together, you would have found them all amazing — people really brought their A-game even on a rainy day!”

Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Graysen Golter at retailwatch@mcall.com.