Some alterations are planned for the Riverenza Espresso Bar & Café, located at 401 E. 10th Street in a century-old stone building, an impressive structure that once housed the Church of Christ.
The Riverenza, which first opened as a coffee shop in November 2007, is now gearing up for new ownership and a new direction.
“We are in a transition phase,” said Noah Blakely, who is in the process of purchasing the business with his wife and co-owner, Lauren. “We’re waiting on a loan application.”
It’s somewhat odd to find a trendy café in what looks and feels like a church, but that just seems to be part of the charm of the place, which includes an outdoor courtyard with seating underneath a tall and leafy horse chestnut tree. Inside, light pours through vintage stained glass, adding to the ambience and offering a hint of the building’s religious origins.
If all goes as expected, the tweaks Blakely plans extend even to the name of the coffee house, which Blakely intends to switch to “The Riv” once the transition in ownership is complete.
Blakely, who has managed the Riverenza for the past four months under the current owner, Molly Ott, said he wants to switch the name because it fits more with the image he hopes to create.
“We went to ‘The Riv’ because it’s an indicator of this place, an indicator of The Dalles and the river,” he explained. “Part of the name kind of blends with what Riverenza was and what we want it to be, which is a more earthy and organic vibe.”
Despite the name change, Noah and Lauren intend to keep the café largely as it is now, focusing primarily on breakfasts such as scrambled eggs on a muffin or grilled French bread, and lunch that features a variety of paninis.
“Molly did a great job, we’re just adding to it,” Blakely said. “We’ll keep the same basic menu, but add our way of preparing breakfasts. We want to keep a lot of paninis and revise our salads, make more house-made goods, and we want as much of the menu as locally-sourced and made in-house as possible.”
For example, The Riv is selling biscuits from Lauren’s grandmother’s recipe, and they are making scones in-house. The owners also hope to start making bagels on site.
In addition, as is the case with Riverenza, The Riv will offer beer and wine, dessert and pastries, smoothies, and a selection of Stumptown coffees.
Blakely said Stumptown is a Portland company with a progressive business model.
“I love their business ethics, and what they do as a company,” Blakely explained. “Our motto is, ‘Business means justice.’”
To get the full impact of the quality The Riv is striving for, Blakely recommended not settling for solely the house coffee, but trying an espresso drink or cold brew, which he said are house specialties.
“The hope is to have excellent coffee, excellent food, and excellent service,” Blakely said. “Our hope is to get the sense we’re matching the quality of the building and the artisan work that went into it with our artisan work with food.”
One intriguing innovation is the introduction of live music on a monthly basis. Ben Blakely, Noah’s brother, has begun hosting “Friday Nights with Ben” on the final Friday of every month — including this Friday, Aug. 25 — from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Ben, who plays guitar, bass guitar and piano, said the music would be on the “mellower end, an acoustic mix of things.”
“I get to showcase local musicians,” Ben explained. “It’s semi-spontaneous. We’ll work some things up and play together; put sets together, have fun and hang out restaurant-style and listen to live music.”
Noah Blakely said owning a food business has been a goal of his for as long as he can remember.
“I’ve wanted to own a restaurant, especially a coffee shop, my whole life,” he pointed out.
Blakely, who attends Calvary Baptist Church and met his wife while performing mission work in San Francisco, said the irony of doing business in what was a church for several decades is not lost on him.
“Jesus always was a big part of my life,” he said. “I’ve been praying for this building for six years. I would come in here every day to get coffee and a muffin and loved it.”
Although the hours are subject to change, Blakely said that as of Sept. 1, he is planning for The Riv to be open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
While he waits for his loan application to be processed, Blakely said he is optimistic everything is coming together in a positive way.
“We’ve seen the response in our customer base. People love the items we’ve brought in and love what we’ve done,” he said.
The Riv can be reached at 541-980-5001.
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