A Beloved Regional Coffee Chain Is Shutting Down For Good
With behemoths like Starbucks, Dunkin', and Tim Hortons operating tens of thousands of locations across the United States and growing fast, America certainly isn't lacking in coffee shops. However, coffee lovers in one part of the country are devastated after learning that a beloved regional chain will soon shutter most of its locations.
Jim and Patty's Coffee, a small chain in the Pacific Northwest, just announced that its stores in Beaverton and Portland, Ore., will serve their last cups of coffee on Nov. 11.
"This will mark our 22nd anniversary. We want to go out celebrating. We'd love to see you between now and then, and your visits will help us fund our final payroll," read a Nov. 6 post shared on the Jim and Patty's social media channels. (In a follow-up post, the chain noted that another Jim and Patty's owned and operated by a separate entity in Forest Heights, Portland will not be closing.)
Husband and wife team Jim and Patty Roberts opened Jim and Patty's Coffee in November 2002. However, the co-founders had already been in the coffee business for decades by that time.
They opened their first Portland shop—the Coffee Man, later renamed to the Coffee People—in 1976. Coffee People eventually grew to 25 locations in and around Portland, with additional shops in Arizona, California, Chicago, Denver, and Eugene, Ore. They also claimed to have opened one of the country's first espresso drive-thrus, Motor Moka, in 1990.
The Roberts sold their shares in the Coffee People business in 1998, just a few years before Jim and Patty's Coffee came into existence. The small chain's mission was to serve "the best drinks with the best beans, the best baked goods made from scratch in-house, and all done without taking life too seriously," according to the website. But like many others in the restaurant industry, Jim and Patty's fell on tough times after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chain's team launched a GoFundMe campaign in August, aiming to raise $250,000 to deal with their accumulated debt and the rising costs of doing business. The campaign never reached its goal, but did end up raising $40,000. For a couple of years, Patty Roberts also had to funnel most of her focus into caring for her husband and co-founder Jim Roberts, who died in 2023.
Customers, unsurprisingly, were heartbroken to hear that the decades-old local chain was closing its doors.
"Your family and your delicious coffee and pastries have been a staple in my life from when I first discovered your Fremont location back in 2009 during the scary and fun transition from college life to 'real life' adulting," one fan commented on a Facebook post announcing the news. "Your shop was a place to relax, share in life updates, and feel the community vibe the area has to offer. Thank you so much for all the years of comfort and joy your business has brought into my life and the lives of my friends and family who have visited and fallen in love with your coffee/pastries offerings."
"Very saddened to hear this news. You have been a gem in our family for generations. All our love on your next new adventure," another wrote.
Meanwhile, the Jim and Patty's team shared a similar message of love and gratitude for its devoted customers.
"Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your support through the fundraiser and the auction and through all the years since we first opened our doors at 5015 NE Fremont. It's been wonderful. We have so many friends, so many memories, a lot of joy and a lot of heartache that you have shared with us over the years. You have taken care of us through it all. Thank you for everything," they wrote in the Facebook post.
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