Double Shot: Interlude
There’s no review this week, but there’s lots of movement in the SE Portland coffee scene. Shop Halo Halo, a Filipino bake shop and cafe, and one of our favorite places, is temporarily closed as they fundraise for a new location. They were previously at Woodstock and 50th (Web readers can click the inline link, print readers can go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/shophalohalomove). Geleen Abenoja, the owner, stated “we faced many challenges in that location which informed our decision to leave, including major repairs due to a lack of regular and reliable building maintenance, difficulty communicating with the property management, and opposing operating standards with our plantshop neighbors that lead to many costly attempts at resolution.” They are currently in lease negotiations for a space in Union Way, a shopping strip across from Powell’s. They will be popping up in various places, which will be listed on their website’s events page, until the move-in is finalized.
Meanwhile, Broken Robot Coffee on 28th Pl. and Gladstone (which has historically been run by the mother-daughter pair Lisa and Heather) is temporarily closed, as Lisa is retiring and transferring ownership to Heather. We eagerly await the reopening of these beloved community staples.
Heretic Coffee, following their pledge to feed people on SNAP while benefits lapsed during the government shutdown, is busier than ever. They remain our favorite supplier of whole bean decaf, and have been sold out for months. They tell us take-home bags of whole bean coffee will return in March.
Posters around the Kenilworth area have been advertising a new coffee shop, Sometimes Coffee, to open on Gladstone and 28th Ave next to Holy Ghost and Pan Con Queso. We’ll be reviewing it next week. As Paradox has reopened, we’ll also re-review them, but we’re going to wait until their teas are back in stock, since we want to review their tea selection more thoroughly this time. That’s all for this week; we hope the beginning of the semester has been treating you well.