Updated: Long-awaited Capital One Cafe to open in late August
- Written by Linda Baker and Caleb Diehl
- Published in Real Estate
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Joan McGuire
Pioneer Park building, downtown Portland
It's been almost a year since we learned a Capital One Cafe would open in the space formerly occupied by Abercrombie and Fitch on the corner of Southwest Broadway and Morrison.
Since then, the OB team has been waiting, Godot-like, for the new co-working space/cafe/finance center to actually open.
The Oregon Business offices are located in the same building — Pioneer Park — and we've all been on tenterhooks, wondering when the construction will end.
Well, as of this week, our curiousity has been satisfied. According to a spokesperson for Capital One, the cafe is slated to open in late August. It will feature Peets Coffee and pastries from local bakeries Finales and vegan establishment Sweet Pea.
In addition to a coffee shop, the two-story, 11,500 square-foot cafe will feature private meeting rooms and common areas finished with Oregon white oak flooring, a hanging light fixture designed by local artistan LightLite and reclaimed wood from high school bleachers.
The upstairs will house semi-private alcoves and meeting rooms enclosed by glass sliding doors, available to nonprofits, businesses and students free of charge. The cafe, common area and ATMs will occupy the first level. Three to six outdoor tables will also be available.
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A certified money coach will offer free one- to two-hour consultations, and greeters will be on hand for "nonscripted" interactions with customers.
"In the digital world, we wanted to bring in that human aspect," says Ryan Laudenbach, market lead for Capital One Cafes.
Even so, the space will boast plenty of technology and automation. It will be outfitted with 47 touch-screen televisions, an Amazon Alexa and ATMs that automate deposits as well as withdrawals.
The Capital One cafe model is part of a larger trend in which retailers are opening food and co-working spaces to attract customers lost to online shopping and banking.
This article was updated on July 12.
