Donut Land donuts, free drip coffee and a new face in town, Artur Cafe had its grand opening on Sunday, March 16.
Christina George and her brother Clay founded Artur Cafe alongside Clay’s wife, Nichole, with the vision of community at the helm.
It was all smiles for Christina, Clay and Nichole, who welcomed patrons and their friends who came to support them with a hug and smile.
“We have been in the community since 2013, and we plan on retiring here. We are so rooted here,” Nichole says.
Clay recognizes the importance of third places, where he can help foster a sense of camaraderie. “We want a welcoming vibe,” Clay says.
Named after Clay and Christina’s father, Artur, who was a steamfitter, the trio wanted to create a warm space where everyday blue-collar workers could start their day.
“We want to attract blue-collar workers and sell them low-cost coffee,” Clay says. “We also want to thank the day-to-day workers and first responders.”
Artur Cafe’s space has a children’s play area and children’s books, and it will soon host an expanded bookshelf and board games.
Clay says third spaces are critical for fostering community, and welcomes patrons to use the space as “another living room” for book clubs, meetings and more.
“Come for the coffee, stay for the play place,” a patron said.
“This is my third time here this week,” another patron added.
The overwhelming consensus from those walking in was relief that Tualatin has a local cafe that is not a chain.
“There is no local sit-down place,” Clay says, “People have even approached us to rent the space in the evening since we close at 3 p.m.”
The cafe has partnered with Donut Land and Amber’s Gluten-Free Bakery to sell its pastries in-house and brews Portland’s own Cascadia Roaster’s coffee.
Clay says he wants to make as many local partnerships as possible, and is looking forward to contributing to the city.
Cascadia Roasters helped train Clay and the baristas to brew the best cup of coffee possible, but the art of coffee is dynamic, “There are so many layers, we are barely scratching the surface,” he says.
Artur Cafe had its soft opening on Monday the 10th through Saturday the 15th, to ensure the flow of things. “We are still getting decor on the walls,” laughs Nichole.
According to Nichole, the three of them always wanted to get their foot in the door of the restaurant business. “It’s always something they have talked about,” she says, “It is the cheapest and most equitable way to get a foot in the door.”
Christina says the location is perfect, nestled across the street from the Tualatin Library and right down the street from the Tualatin Community Park.
“When we were looking for places, we asked, ‘How’s parking?’” Nichole said.
Artur Cafe was filled to the brim with patrons who fell in love with the atmosphere and coffee throughout the morning, much to the delight of Nichole.
Artur Cafe is open from 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the weekends. 18749 SW Martinazzi Ave, Tualatin, OR 97062. For more information, please visit www.arturcafe.com.
