Black Rock Coffee Bar coming to downtown

The high-energy Black Rock Coffee Bar is coming to downtown Vancouver, where it will establish one of its first urban-focused coffee shops in the renovated Sparks building just across from Vancouver’s downtown library.

Black Rock expects to open in July in the former Sparks Home Furnishings building on Evergreen Boulevard between C Street and Broadway, which has been converted to office and retail space by Vancouver-based Hurley Development. The Tigard, Ore.-based coffee vendor, with three existing outlets in Vancouver, also is building new shops at 76th Street and 117th Ave./SR 503, near Lowe’s, and at Northeast 134th Street and 20th Avenue, across from Burgerville. Both are on property owned by Hurley Development.

“They’re a great organization and we were glad to get connected with them,” said Greg McGreevey, operations officer for Hurley Development. “They’ve got this anti-Starbucks ethos going, and they have a ton of energy.”

The Sparks building’s newest tenant is GLAMbeauty Bar, which held its grand-opening on Thursday. It also is home to corporate branding firm Blue Blazes, a Bridge Chiropractic clinic and State Farm broker Erik Morton. A 2,100-square-foot retail storefront space facing Broadway remains unleased. The building’s anchor office tenant is Olson Engineering, which relocated from another downtown site late last year.

GLAMbeauty Bar co-owner Meghan Hamilton said she and business partner Leslie Stose believe the time and place is right for them to bring their innovative blowout hair-styling shop to Vancouver. “We love the vibe downtown,” said Hamilton, who grew up in Vancouver but spent about a decade in California. She is closing her shop in Salmon Creek to make the move.

Hurley Development had previously planned to lease retail space to Vancouver’s Torque Coffee Roasters, but took on Black Rock when the deal with Torque fell through. Black Rock opened its first store in 2008 in Beaverton. Ore. It has 15 locations in Oregon, largely in suburban Portland area, four in Washington including its three in Vancouver, and one in California.

McGreevey said he’s seen growing interest from companies like Black Rock in establishing roots downtown. The biggest challenge for business growth downtown, he said, is a shortage of parking for employees and visitors.

“New, energetic young companies really are seeing that downtown has developed this energy, and they want to have that urban setting,” he said.

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