Jim and Patty’s Coffee closed its doors at 4951 NE Fremont Street in Northeast Portland on Sunday, July 12. Ending a chapter, but what happens next is still being decided, and the answer may already be taking shape. New owner Paul Ceserani confirmed to What Now Portland that transition plans are still being worked out, but that Spielman Bagels and Coffee is one option being considered for the space.
It wouldn’t be the first time Spielman has stepped into a Jim and Patty’s footprint. The Portland bagel and coffee brand already operates out of the former Jim and Patty’s Beaverton location, as well as a Forest Heights spot in Northwest Portland that had remained open under different ownership. A handful of Jim and Patty’s signature menu items, like Black Tiger coffee beans, Black Tiger Shakes, and Pig Newtons, will continue to be available at Spielman locations while the transition plays out.
Jim and Patty’s has a legacy that runs deep in Portland’s coffee culture. Original founders Jim and Patty Roberts started selling pour-overs at the Eugene Saturday Market before launching Coffee People in 1983, which grew into a Starbucks rival throughout the 1990s. The couple eventually returned to Portland in 2022, and revived the Jim and Patty’s name, only for co-founder Jim Roberts to pass away in July 2023. The NE Fremont location reopened under new owners just last August, eleven months before this latest closure.
