Bigger city — Big City Coffee grows into the Linen District

Erin Ryan
THRIVE
Edition Date: 01-08-2007

Click to view the original article on Thriveweekly.com

The paint is still fresh, but Big City Coffee’s new Linen District shop already feels broken in.
Maybe it’s the vintage metal signs and weathered wood furniture. Maybe it’s the familiar sight of a pastry case overflowing with homemade baked goods. Or maybe it’s the fact that most of the customers know each other by name.
They turned up in droves for the new locale’s opening to support an old friend — Sarah Fendley — who owned Big City on State Street for six years before making this move.
“I recognize everybody,” she said, “and it’s so good to see them.”
Fendley is responsible, in large part, for Big City’s reputation as a destination coffee shop, a place to go with friends after a long bike ride or with family for a robust Sunday brunch.

Wearing oversized pearl earrings and a rust-colored camouflage shirt, she looked surprisingly relaxed on her second Monday at the helm. With the other location, she inherited an aesthetic. With this one, she was free to raze the place and start in the rubble, which is exactly what she did. She gutted the former farm-supply store and built to fit her personality, and the shabby chic decor almost synonymous with independent coffee shops is nowhere to be found. Instead, there are wall-sized mirrors reflecting sturdy tables with dark stain, antiques painted that singular shade of chipped turquoise and black and white photographs of Fendley’s grandfather at the Oregon Centennial in 1958.

“I love the way the building has turned out. This place just really fits me better … Honestly, it looks like my house inside. I love old stuff. It has more character. It adds something to a place,” Fendley said. “Even when I walk in now it doesn’t feel new to me. It feels like it has been here a long time.”

In fact, it is the latest addition to the small family of businesses that make up the Linen District, entrepreneur David Hale’s concept for West Downtown. Along with places like Donnie Mac’s Trailer Park Cuisine, Visual Arts Collective and the Second Chance Building Materials Center, Big City is bringing color and culture to the developing neighborhood.

“David did a good job of picking out people who are like-minded,” Fendley said.
It was Hale who first got her thinking about reinventing her business.

“Anytime you own a business, people are always coming to you wanting you to move to this place or that place. But I had a good location and decided to focus on that. Then David Hale called, and I wasn’t surprised,” she said. “It was one of those weird moments when I knew I should do it. He’s not about to let this area fail. His business means a lot to him and my business means a lot to me …

He’s kind of looking for things off the beaten path, but really quality things. I knew it was the right fit.”

So Fendley brought four veteran baristas with her and started again after selling the State Street shop. She owns the name, but all of her efforts will be focused on establishing Big City in the Linen District.

There are a few major differences. New items include a frosted chocolate macaroon scone and a bear claw filled with honey, marzipan and chopped almonds, both of which embody Big City’s menu mantra: “Where others scrimp, we splurge.”

Breakfast options seem endless, from toasted bagel sandwiches to tamales to steamed eggs to sweet waffles to savory wraps to the OBGYF, or “Oh Boy Granola, Yogurt and Fresh Fruit.” And don’t forget the award-winning quiche that was featured in USA Today (the turkey gouda is especially nice).

For lunch, try some homemade soup made fresh every day or a seasonal salad. For the good ol’ boys, there are biscuits and gravy, and for cosmopolitan types, there is a croissant sandwich with turkey, pesto mayo, fresh greens, tomatoes and cheese.

But coffee is the soul of Big City. The cafe offers three kinds, Boise’s White Cloud, San Diego’s Cafe Moto and Gillies out of Brooklyn. There are new roasts that celebrate the neighborhood, like “Rescue Me” (named for the Fire Station down the street) “District Drip (named for the Linen District) and the “Lap Dance Blend” (named for the nearby Spearmint Rhino). It’s just another way Fendley is reaching out to her neighbors, hoping their bond can facilitate their collective vision for the Linen District.

“I like it because it’s Downtown, but it’s not Downtown. This, to me, is more neighborhoody,” she said. “I hope it stays that way.”

Big City also has a full-fledged catering business and is taking on contract accounts. The facility is available to rent for private parties.

Big City Coffee & Cafe
1416 Grove St., 345-3145
Winter hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday