CityView Magazine

Above | There’s no such thing as retirement for Renate and John Jenkins, who always dreamed of a place where people could enjoy a true cup of tea and delicious desserts and pastries. in 2001. They named it McDuff’s after their West Highland terrier that had been a part of the family for more than 16 years. And coincidentally, the name has historic ties as the local area was originally settled by Scots, John said. “It’s just something different than people anticipate in a military town,” Renate said. Born in Munich, Germany, Renate came to the United States when she was 6 years old. Years later, she returned to her native country and met John, the son of a military father. After graduation, John followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the Army, and he and Renate were reunited in Fayetteville. Through the years of raising two children and working demanding full-time jobs, the couple had a dream tucked away. John retired from Moen in Sanford; Renate logged 25 years in the medical records department of Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. 20|Special Issue • 2009 The two of them envisioned Fayetteville’s downtown as a place that would not only attract new business but people who would live downtown and feel safe, John said. And despite the naysayers, they were one of the first couples to move downtown. It was a risky adventure at the time as revitalization was just beginning, John said. “Actually, this was a fairly rough neighborhood,” he said. In renovating the building, they turned part of the attic into an upstairs apartment with separate living quarters for John’s father, who was ill. When his father died three years later, they opened the tea emporium downstairs. They had seen a tea room in Sanford and had their hearts set on opening one for themselves. “Both of us have a love and a fascination for all things tea,” Renate said.

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