Keia & Martyn’s Coffee is moving into 1615 NE 15th Ave, the space long occupied by Caffe D’Arte, in Portland’s Irvington District. Owners Keia Booker and Martyn Leaper are relocating out of Lloyd Center, where their shop has operated since 2023, ahead of the mall’s closure to the public on August 8.
Booker and Leaper’s story with Lloyd Center goes back further than their coffee shop. The two had their first date at the mall nearly two decades ago, and years later, a Valentine’s Day visit sparked the idea to open a cafe there together. Booker previously managed a cafe for Stumptown Coffee Roasters, while Leaper worked as a roastmaster for McMenamins before the two launched Keia & Martyn’s as an online coffee subscription business, eventually landing their brick-and-mortar shop on the second floor near the mall’s old ice rink.
The couple has built a reputation well beyond Lloyd Center. Earlier this year, Keia & Martyn’s won a Good Food Award for its Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Natural coffee, recognition Booker has called meaningful as one of the few Black women roasters in the Pacific Northwest. The couple also runs tiny little cuppa, a second shop in downtown Portland, alongside their production and roasting operations.
According to The Oregonian, the new Irvington District space previously operated for years as Caffe D’Arte, known for its Italian-style espresso, quiet work nooks and a patio shaded by one of the neighborhood’s oldest trees.
