Our favorite hangout in Audubon is closed, and everyone is feeling a deep loss because this little coffee house was a home and sanctuary for many people. Everyone was welcomed and treated with love. The credit of course goes to the owners of the Treehouse Coffee Shop.
Randy and Tina
It takes a special person to not only run a successful business, but to make their customers feel like family. Tina and Randy Van Osten not only made their customers feel like family for eighteen years, they did this while serving up healthy, tasty, organic food. Tina is an environmental & biology science teacher. Randy is a Baptist minister at the First Baptist Church in Pitman. What makes these two people truly wonderful is that they live the bible. They included everyone into their fold no matter their race, religious beliefs, sexual preference, or nationality.
I began to visit the Treehouse right after I retired from the Academy of Natural Science in Philly. I began babysitting my neighbor’s daughter. Every Tuesday, Isabella and I went to the Treehouse to dance to Sara O’Brien’s Expresso Yourself music hour. It was a safe place for a very shy child to open up and join in the sing-alongs with the other children.
Later, after publishing the first book of my sci-fi Roof Oasis Series, I held my very first book launch at the Treehouse, as did other members of the writers’ club that I belonged to: South Jersey’s Writers’ Group. Five books later, I was still holding my book releases at the Treehouse. Tina always made sure that everything was perfect for the book launch.
Later, when I began to grow in my spirituality and decided to use my psychic/medium gifts to bring people closer to GOD, Randy and Tina allowed me to use the little cubbyhole in the back of their coffee shop to speak with my clients. I do hope that being in the Treehouse, which I felt was a blessed place, did bring my clients closer to the Lord.
I will also miss the Treehouse Staff. They were an extension of Randy’s and Tina’s love for humanity. In all the years that I was at the Treehouse, not once did I ever see a staff member lose their temper or be rude. If anything, everyone who worked at the Treehouse were amazing people. I will miss you guys.
Conclusion
I don’t think we can ever replace the effect that the Treehouse had on our community, but maybe we can remember the good works of its owners Randy and Tina by continuing to treat every single person that we meet in our lives as the Face of GOD.
As I said before, Randy is the minister of the First Baptist Church in Pitman and he has set up a thrift shop at the church which will be having a grand opening this Saturday. Randy is hoping to make the church a community hub for all. God Bless you, Randy and Tina. You helped to make me a better person.
Fig Leaf Thrift will hold its grand opening complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony, live music by local artist Richie Green, free merch giveaway, and free drinks/snacks on Saturday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m.
“We see the needs of families who have experienced job loss due to COVID pandemic to be fulfilled and thought that a thrift store would be a good job,” Van Osten said.
The Fig Leaf will sell clothes, housewares, books, etc. at a low cost. However, he and his team had a greater vision than just a thrift store.
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