Breaking via Portland Food and Drink and their Bernstein-esque reporter extraordinaire, “the Food Dude“, comes news that PDX micro-cafe Sterling will soon be moving to a new location. Sterling’s location at 2120 NW Glisan is hardly bigger than a closet, and yet it serves as a pitch-perfect front for Sterling Coffee Roasters, a roasting project that serves the eponymous Sterling cafe and Coffeehouse NW, just a few blocks away on Burnside Street. Here’s the take from PDX Food and Drink:
Sterling Coffee, the little walk-up next to Trader Joe’s on Glisan, has lost their lease. The shop, owned by Adam McGovern of Coffeehouse Northwest, is a popular destination because of their commitment to micro-roasting, and the passion of their employees. Apparently, Trader Joes will be expanding into the Sterling space. The move to a new location should take place between April 1st and July 1st.
That’s mostly accurate, although Sprudge caught up with Adam McGovern (owner / roaster for Sterling), and he was pretty quick to point out that Trader Joe’s expansion plans did not catch them by surprise. “We’ve known about it for a while”, McGovern told Sprudge, “and we’ve already had a chance to discuss it with our shareholders and our staff.” Mr. McGovern clued us in to some exciting details as to the next step for Sterling Coffee Roasters, who will NOT be closing, just moving, and whose coffees you can (and should) continue to enjoy at both Coffeehouse NW and the Sterling flagship space. Their plans include:
- A new “cart”-type space in NW Portland, very similar to the current Sterling closet on NW Glisan, fancy wallpaper and all.
- An official Sterling-owned roastworks, whose lease negotiations are still in progress, but whose location will also be in NW Portland – likely in the Chinatown neighborhood.
- Continuous service at the current Sterling cafe location on Glisan, up until Trader Joe’s expansion date (which could be as early as April, or as late as July).
Look for an official press release and updates from Sterling and Mr. McGovern in the coming weeks. Read the full original feature here via Portland Food and Drink.
