Here Comes The Spring

from Health, Beauty & Fitness Winter '23

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Here Comes The Spring Wellness Collective Boasts Café, Activity Center and Fitness and Wellness Programs

By kevin CzerWinski

It seems fitting that Jonathan and Julia Krieger selected the Demarest-Lyle House in Tenafly as the location for The Spring.

The Demarest-Lyle House is an historic home, built in the late 1700s and its presence is emblematic of the region’s rich history, which dates back to colonial days. The Spring hasn’t been around nearly as long – just a few months – but in that short time it has been here, it has had a tremendous impact on Tenafly and surrounding communities. So much so that if the wellness collective created by the Kriegers continues to grow in size and popularity, perhaps one day there will be a sign out on West Clinton Avenue next to the one about the Dearest-Lyle House, detailing the rich history of The Spring.

“I kept driving by the building with its huge for sale sign hanging [on the front porch],” Jonathan Krieger said. “I must have driven by 10 or 15 times and I finally called the broker. I never met the broker until we signed the lease because this was at the height of [the] omicron outbreak. But when I went into the building, I called my wife and said you need to get over here. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we have to do something here.”

That something turned into The Spring, which is a combination spa, restaurant, holistic healing facility, community center and so much more all rolled into one. The Krieger’s mission statement regarding

The Spring revolves around empowering and uniting communities by combining food, beverages, holistic practices, physical activities and educational experiences.

The Spring, however, is so much more. It’s a bustling hive of activity that is warm and welcoming, reflecting the attitude and personality of its creators. Originally, the plan was to turn the building into a school, what Krieger called “a very unique Montessori 2.0 concept.” The timing, however, wasn’t right to open such a facility. Instead, the Kriegers have created what they have labeled an evolved version of a community center.

“I’ve been watching the people come in from babies to seniors walk in and experience the classes, the lectures, the food and just being amongst each other in a situation that normally wouldn’t exist within communities,” said Krieger, 42, whose business partner Brandon Hirsch manages the day-to-day operations. “You’re able to meet people who live a few minutes away from you and that’s beyond special, for me included. It is pretty magnificent to watch the community come together in one place and experience all of this together. The feedback has been remarkable. Mostly it’s been thank you, we needed this.”

The Spring features a restaurant with a plant-forward menu which features an all-day breakfast through 6 p.m. The menu, which is 80 percent vegetarian/ vegan, is ever evolving, though, according to Krieger, added that shortly a full dinner will be available featuring “a very robust menu,” which will include a vegan cheeseburger. Fitness classes, along with dance classes for adults and kids as well as breath work and yoga are available. Additionally, a holistic medical component was added recently in which chiropractic and IV therapy are available. There is also a medical director, Dr. Annalisa Pastore, who oversees The Springs medical options under the program Restore at the Spring.

If it all sounds like an ambitious venture, that’s only because it is. Krieger, however, is no stranger to big and creative projects. He’s been building business for the better part of two decades in Manhattan, where he also lived until moving to Bergen County last year. He co-founded a coffee chain called Bluestone Lane and built a chain of restaurants in New York City called Taco Dumbo. He also created a series of Randolph Beer Brew Pubs in addition to being the co-founder of Bridges General Shops, a chain of convenience stores in New York and San Francisco. Julia Krieger, meanwhile, is a Harvard grad who was named as one of the 30 Under 30 by Forbes.

The Spring, however, is something just a bit more for the Kriegers.

“I think I’ve been shooting for something like this for the last 20 years,” said Krieger, who has three children under the age of 5. “I think I’ve always been building concepts with certain intentions but I don’t think I’ve ever built anything more meaningful. The Spring stemmed from learning the dynamics of this town. You have Demarest, Englewood, Closter and all these young families that lived in the city for 10 to 20 years and then had kids and moved out here. All that was exacerbated during COVID, the great

“This building lent itself to a place where you could have a lot of different experiential programming that all of these people want. This is where you can go for coffee or lunch. When the kids go to school you can go here for a yoga meditation class. People can come here to hear a talk during a workshop on something, which is what we are doing through Spring Talks. Why shouldn’t that all be under one roof?”

As for the name, it’s something that Krieger has been eager to use for the last 15 years. He’s a self-described big outdoors guy and is a big believer in nature as a form of healing. “If there is a lake or pond or waterfall around, I am jumping in,” he said. “Spring embodies energy, life and healing and that really what I see this concept representing. We can meet almost all of someone’s extracurricular needs, mental, physical and holistic from having a great breakfast, lunch or dinner to taking classes and attending lectures.

“Tenafly and the surrounding area are very unique communities. There is a very diverse culture of people with lots of young families,” he continued. “They are very intentional people who want to live a good life. And we are genuinely built for this community to create community.”

And it’s a community rich in history, one which the Kriegers hope that The Spring will someday play an integral part.

Social GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL GOLF AND RACQUETS INVITATIONAL

Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation held their Golf and Racquets Invitational at Paramount Country Club. For more information, visit www.goodsamhosp.org.

Dr. Michael Schwartz, Dr. Jessica Mitchell

Mona Montal, Dr. James Vela, Steve Schloss, Nick Spar, Dr. Mary Leahy Dr. Mary Leahy, Dr. James Vela Gayle Hirsch, Mary Grace and Joseph Lagana, Amy Stern