Three hundred people and a llama joined Parkrose Coffee Shop owners Lily Burnett and Peter Irby on May 10, 2025, the day of the shop’s grand opening. Theirs is the first dedicated sit-down coffee shop serving five East Portland neighborhoods: Parkrose, Sumner, Russell, Argay Terrace, and the City of Maywood Park.
East Portland Voice sat down with Lily Burnett last month to learn why she and her husband, Peter Irby, chose to open Parkrose Coffee Shop, and how it’s going.
Watch the full interview here (21 minutes):
Last year, Burnett was actively involved in supporting the Parkrose Teachers Levy, which would have maintained teachers and classroom support for Parkrose School District, the most diverse school district in the state. When the levy failed to pass by 127 votes, Burnett wanted to do something for the neighborhood that would bring people together as a community.
“I really wanted to create a space where people could come together and also a space where the neighborhood felt a sense of ownership that it wasn't just mine, it's ours,” Burnett shared. “Coffee was a vehicle to do that.”
While downtown and inner east Portland are known as coffee shop hubs, cafés are few and far in between east of 82nd Avenue. As Burnett explained, “We didn't have a sit-down coffee shop. We have six drive-thrus in a three-mile radius, and then about three miles from us is Jet Black, a wonderful coffee shop in the Gateway neighborhood. But in this pocket of Portland, one could not walk to or in a short drive get to a sit-down coffee shop. So that's why I decided to do it here.”
Another community need that Burnett and Irby have worked to address is that of a kid-friendly space that adults can also enjoy. “When we built the coffee shop, we wanted it to be very kid friendly, but not in a way where parents felt like they were the afterthought.” They designed a play kitchen that was quality-tested by their two-year old child, and there is also a large back patio. As Burnett tells it, “I had a lot of parents tell me it is so fabulous that our ginormous back patio is enclosed on three sides. There's only one way out, so they can sit with a cup of coffee. And as long as they're between their kids in the exit, they can really let their shoulders drop a little bit because their kids can play and run around.”
Their biggest hang-up as new small business owners has been navigating the City of Portland’s permitting process. Having no structural renovation needed in order to open the shop, the permit “was described to me as what would likely be about a six-week process,” explained Burnett. “Haha, that’s ended up taking six months, and it is still not done.”
Ultimately, Burnett and Irby made the decision to open without permits in place. “What we did not anticipate was the additional three months of just waiting. And we got to a point where we literally couldn't afford to wait anymore. We couldn't keep paying rent … We were told that we were caught in what's called a ‘corrections loop.’ And I said, excuse me, if you have a term for what this is, fix it. Like, this isn't something you're ignorant about.”
While dealing with the City has proven frustrating, Burnett is focusing on what she hopes for the future of Parkrose Coffee Shop as a go-to neighborhood place.
“I'm excited to see kids in here doing homework after school,” Burnett shared. “Or coming in on the weekends to like work on group projects. We're going to build an awning and have a little patio heater in the back so people can still be outside when it's rainy or cold. I want book clubs to meet here. I want knitting clubs to meet here. I want it to be a space where people can come and hang out with their friends.”
Parkrose Coffee Shop is located at 4826 NE 105th Ave. just off Sandy Blvd. You can visit their website for hours, directions, and their drink menu: https://www.parkrosecoffeeshop.com.
