River Maiden Artisan Coffee has got its sequel.
The pop culture-loving coffee shop opened a brand new location at 5301 E. Mill Plain Blvd. last week, nearly a year after losing its original space down the road.
“We feel amazing and so grateful,” said Melissa Layman, who co-owns the shop with Aaron Flies. “Can’t stop smiling. Even though we’re exhausted, we can’t stop smiling.”
River Maiden had been without a home since last summer after its previous landlord, Highland Square LLC, moved to find a tenant who would sign a 10-year lease. That commitment was too long for Layman and Flies.
With its future in doubt, River Maiden closed last June. A drive-thru opened last July while they searched for a new location.
The new, 2,500-square-foot space officially opened last week. It is a former Bank of America branch that could have an operational drive-thru and commercial kitchen by summer.
Plus, the shop’s penchant for remixing quotes from popular 1980s movies was on display with new T-shirts saying “Nobody Puts River Maiden in a Corner.”
Layman said the week so far has felt like a homecoming. River Maiden has seven employees back to work and it gets to see many customers who helped finance repairs of the new location.
While it was looking for a new location, River Maiden sold “coffee shares,” where customers bought, say, a month’s worth of coffee in advance. They also raised money with direct donations, such as an IndieGoGo campaign that raised $12,600.
“It’s like home,” Layman said. “It’s been really fun with people coming and getting to see them redeem (coffee shares) and seeing the shop we’ve built. We feel so thankful.”
Repairs and remodeling will cost about $250,000 once the commercial kitchen and drive-thru are completed, Layman said. They also expect to hire five more people.
