Newtown Officially Welcomes Calm Waters To Town With Ribbon Cutting

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Loyal customers joined business and community leaders on Saturday morning to officially welcome Calm Waters to town.

And they couldn’t have picked a better coffee drinking morning - overcast, damp and cold - to lift a warm cup of Joe to the arrival of the independent coffee shop in town.

After the owners of the Coffee Room decided to retire last summer, Andrew and Jodi Dittman along with business partner Jeremy Keating stepped in, changed the name of the business and brought their own brand of Java to town.

Since then, mornings have been busy at Calm Waters, which provides customers with a delicious assortment of coffees, mochas, lattes and cappuccinos in a calm and relaxing environment.

“The response has been fantastic from the community,” said Andrew. “We were really lucky because the Coffee Room had already built a good foundation. The town has given us a great reception. We’ve been busy and people have been liking it. We’re here to make good coffee and make people smile.”

Preparing to cut the ribbon at Calm Waters on South State Street. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

This is the second location for the Dittman’s who have owned and operated Calm Waters in historic Bristol Borough for the past eight years. In Bristol Borough they have built a reputation for serving some of the best coffee in Lower Bucks.

“It's about more than just great coffee. It's about taking the time to appreciate the good things in life, loving your neighbors, and growing as a community,” says their website.

At Calm Waters, the Dittman’s roast their own coffee and develop all their own flavors in house while creating a one-of-a-kind experience for their customers.

“Everything we do is super fresh,” said Andrew. “We focus on the origins and the farms where we get our coffees. We make our own vanilla and chocolate for our vanilla lattes and mochas. But we really pride ourselves with our straight up coffee. We put a lot of work into our black coffee and
espressos. Our cappuccinos are really popular. We have a simple menu, but we try to make what we have exceptional.”

(photo by Jeff Werner)

The opening of Calm Waters in Newtown is a homecoming for Andrew who spent the first years of his life here growing up near Goodnoe Elementary and graduating from Council Rock.

Ironically he grew up with Mike and Antoni Christou who just opened up Ardana Food and Drink at the Village at Newtown Shopping Center.

Through a new partnership between the old friends, Calm Waters will be providing its coffee to Ardana’s. They also have begun selling their coffee beans at Organon’s Market in Wrightstown.

What Locals Are Saying

Among those on hand to welcome Calm Waters to the street were State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, a representative from Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s office, Newtown Business Association President Dave Marcolla, Newtown Borough Mayor John Burke, and Tara Grunde-McLaughlin, the president of the Newtown Borough Council.

“It’s great to see Calm Waters here in Newtown,” said Marcolla, who helped arranged the ribbon cutting. “They are not only providing a quality product, but a place for the community to gather. They are a perfect partner with the community and are helping to bring a vibrancy to the street.”

“It’s pretty cool that he’s come back to Newtown to open the shop,” said Burke. “That’s the best story about it. He grew up here and now he’s back.”

“When Margaret and Raj decided to close we were so disappointed,” added Grunde-McLaughlin. “We loved when they opened. It was such a beautiful spot in terms of a place to hang out. We’d come down with our own cups to get coffee. To know that the folks from Calm Waters were going to pick it up, that the coffee is roasted right here in Bucks County and it was going to continue was wonderful for our town. I couldn’t be happier,” she said.

How It All Began

According to its website, Calm Waters was born along the Flambeau River as founders Andrew and Jodi sipped campfire coffee in the quiet predawn hours before energetic teenagers began rolling out of tents. Long days spent leading young adventure-seekers down the river taught them the
importance of seizing small opportunities to slow down and remain present with themselves and each other.

In time, they learned that caring for themselves properly allowed them to care for those around.

“What comes to mind when you hear ‘calm waters’ is probably pretty darn close to what it’s all about for us at Calm Waters Coffee Roasters (CWCR). It differs from person to person, but at the end of the day, our core mission is simple and wholly inclusive: love yourself, love others,” they write.

(photo by Jeff Werner)

“The ways we can pursue this within ourselves and within our communities are endless. We find a lot of power in the space that a coffee shop creates for people, and the types of moments an intentionally crafted cup of coffee invites you into.

“Our hope is that no matter what is happening in your life, when you walk into our shop or brew our coffee at home, you will find in the presence of that moment a quiet, powerful peace: one you may carry with you into the rest of your day."

Calm Waters is located at 15 South State Street in Newtown. Hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, visit www.calmwaterscoffee.com.