Portland Coffee Hangouts

On this crisp fall day, 4 of us met at Tabor Bread, one of our favorite bakeries for hanging out, not to mention their tasty pastries.  Unlike a lot of bakeries that thrive on high turnover, Tabor has more a more relaxed folk-music coffeehouse vibe and that helps with our feeling at home in terms of hanging out.  Unfortunately, today the shop was a bit smoky as something was lost in the oven and burned, resulting in the opening of several skylights and windows.

Topics today included M still recuperating from his being doored on his bike this summer, the new bureaucratic paperwork that Health/Human Services is requiring for his consultancy work as they increase subcontracting out to private industry middlemen, and  D turning 69 and thus his and R’s circuitous route to Tabor Bread.

5051 SE Hawthorne      http://www.taborbread.com

Partly to use a couple of $1.00 off coupons we had scored at Groundworks’ NW roastery/shop,  partly to more consciously compare this newer shop that we do like with older first wave shops, and partly to learn what Groundwork – whose motto is “coffee, tea, community” – does in terms of local community work, 4 of us returned to the Hawthorne shop on this chilly, dry morning.

We concluded in terms of our comparing spiffy brand new shops with older 1st wave ones, that while we are attracted to the clean lines of design and better lighting of the newer shops, the furniture is actually less comfortable than what we find in funkier older shops with their variety of seating options and knick knacks all around.  Thus, we feel more comfortable hanging out for extended periods in the 1st wave shops.

And in terms of Groundworks “community” presence, we were impressed with the ability of non-profits to use their space, their giving employees paid time off to work on behalf of the disadvantaged, and their donations of food.

4703 SE Hawthorne                                            https://www.groundworkcoffee.com/

One can classify the evolution of coffee shops in several different ways.  Our perspective views their first phase as being unpretentious, neighborhood-based spaces that served as local meeting places, and served coffee; the second phase keyed into the their  providing and/or creating artisan coffees and baked goods; and the current phase is characterized by their upscale design in newly constructed spaces or total rehabs,  upscale treats like avocado toast, and lunches.  The monthly rotating art on walls by neighborhood residents, funky fixtures, and soft couches  that were common during the early years are absent from the newer shops.

Upper Left Roasters takes place in a space that’s been totally rehabbed.  It’s bright, it’s modern, it has clean lines even with some exposed ceiling, and that makes it a comfortable place to hang out in even without the homey elements that were the hallmark of an earlier generation of coffee shops.

This being their first get-together since the eclipse, M and H traded stories of their journeys to isolated settings in the Strawberry Mountains, and on the Alsea River respectively; the length of each’s total darkness – 2:00 vs 30 seconds; and animal reactions – significant in the Strawberries vs hardly noticeable along the Alsea.  H also told how post-eclipse he and wife P had an eclipse-like spiritual time in the California  Redwoods, and along the So. Oregon Coast.

1204 SE Clay                                      upperleftroasters.com

L.A.’s Groundwork Coffee Co. – a roaster since 1990 and now operator of 11 So Cal outlets – bought 2 Tin Man’s shops on SE Hawthorne and SW 1st last summer.  Now they’ve also acquired the former Kobos roastery on NW  Vaughan.  On a December visit to the Hawthorne shop we really appreciated its spacious, bright, craftsman-like layout, array of organic coffees and teas, and stated commitment to build community.   This being summer we tried out their outdoor picnic benches, but found them not as stimulating as their interior seats, having been spoiled recently by visiting a couple of more comfortable patios.  Nevertheless, Groundwork’s commitment to creating community in L.A. and here, plus the lovely decor of its Hawthorne store, make Groundwork/ Hawthorne well worth a visit.

H, G, and part-time Portland resident C nevertheless had a good deal to catch up on, and enjoyed a stimulating hour-plus discussion outside at a sidewalk table.  When not in Portland, these past 7 months C along with his sister have been the primary caretakers in Denver for his failing mother; he related how she seemingly rejected a couple of earlier invitations to pass, how the spirit of her brother might have made an appearance to her, and then seemingly waited until both of her children were out of the room before passing away.  C and G then shared updates on two of their children, coincidentally both 40 and also both in WA, who’ve each faced recent challenges.   Meanwhile, H told how his oldest daughter is turning 40 this week, and he and wife P are being allowed to carouse with younger family/friends on their ritualistic pub crawl this Sat.

4703 SE Hawthorne                                            https://www.groundworkcoffee.com/