Sleeper Coffee to move to Pier 12

Sleeper Coffee, which has been greeting customers with their bright pink neon sign and quirky atmosphere for over a year now on Commercial Street, has made the decision to move to Pier 12.

Owners and partners Roxy Ficken-Jones and Pete Ficken said they were approached in March with the opportunity to move from downtown to the riverfront.

Sleeper Coffee

Pete Ficken and Roxy Ficken-Jones, of Sleeper Coffee, at the new space on Pier 12.

“The owners of this building wanted a coffee shop, they’re thinking of … having more office space up here. There’s a whole upstairs office. So they were like, it’d be great if we had a coffee shop. And they were like, well, let’s go ask Sleeper,” Ficken-Jones said.

To aid in the move, the couple decided to crowdsource through a GoFundMe campaign and have set a goal of $25,000.

With the money, they hope to cover the costs of plumbing and electrical work, building materials for the new space, health department licensing fees, utilities at the Commercial Street storefront and salary for their staff.

The couple has paid the security deposit for their new location and have signed a three-year lease agreement. According to Ficken-Jones, Sleeper Coffee will continue to operate at Commercial Street until they move the espresso machine on their unofficial moving date, which is set for early June.

Two years ago, the couple moved to Astoria from Portland and brought along their love of coffee and many years of experience as baristas. Since opening their coffee shop, they have focused on being a place for community engagement and fun drinks.

“We moved to Astoria because his brother and sister-in-law live here. But they were kind of the only two people we knew, and so now that we’ve been open and operational, we know half the town. So if it feels less scary this time to kind of be up and moving because we’ve got so much support,” Ficken-Jones said.

At Sleeper Coffee, they try to be cognizant of customers who might be having a bad day and lend an ear to whoever needs it.

“If you pick up on someone kind of needing more than a quick conversation you give them more, you know, and just really try to figure out if you can make someone’s day better,” Ficken said.

Ficken’s journey of becoming a barista began after he found a community in a coffee shop as a teenager. Later on, he was encouraged by his older brother to explore the world of making coffee and found himself working at Stumptown in Portland.

Stumptown also happens to be where the couple first met, and coffee has played a part in their relationship ever since.

The name “Sleeper Coffee” was inspired by Ficken-Jones’ sleeping habits and their mutual understanding of not being morning people. Ficken-Jones, during her former hour-and-a-half commute to Hillsboro from northeast Portland, would stop in at Stumptown in the Ace Hotel where Ficken worked and tended to fall asleep.

“I would get an Americano and I would go sit down upstairs in the mezzanine in the lobby of the Ace Hotel and I would fall asleep,” Ficken-Jones said.

For those who have yet to try Sleeper Coffee, the couple highlighted their matcha lemonades. One of the lemonades was nicknamed “Purple Rayne” after one of their friends.

Another drink from their menu highlighted by Ficken-Jones was the espresso tonic, a light and refreshing summer drink for espresso lovers.