The tea break is over at Multnomah cafe

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 1, 2015

Since opening in 2012, Medley café and tea house in Multnomah Village has been a place where guests can relax and spend a couple of hours connecting with friends, owners Kathleen Ritchie (formerly Kathleen Zorn) and Kayla Reich say.

When a plumbing backup in late July forced Ritchie and Reich to close for five weeks, they worried the local community might forget about the shop.

“For a small business, it’s scary,” Reich says. “We were a little concerned that some of our regulars would find other places to become regulars.”

But as they discovered when they reopened Sept. 2, that wasn’t the case. Customers new and old streamed in to support the shop, where guests can pick out their own teacups and enjoy house-baked scones served with “sweet Multnomahshire cream” and fruit preserves.

Medley was also a spotlighted shop during the Village’s First Friday celebration on Sept. 4, and is currently hosting a two-month gallery of local artists’ Medley-inspired drawings or paintings — many that started as sketches at the shop.

“It’s really thrilling for us because we actually see our stuff,” Ritchie says, looking at the artwork along the shop’s walls. “I know that plate, I know that scone, I know that teacup.”

She and Reich are still not sure what caused the plumbing backup, though they say it could have been influenced by nearby construction projects in the Village. During the five-week closure, the shop received new flooring in the kitchen and dining areas, and Ritchie and Reich created a new seating arrangement to accommodate larger groups.

They also used the time off as an opportunity to be with their families and revisit home projects they don’t normally have time for. And Reich says their insurance policy allowed them to cover lost wages and tips for their five part-time employees, to avoid laying anyone off.

As the team returned to work and prepared the shop for reopening, eager customers began peering in — and some even opened the door to try to make a reservation.

“It really lifted our spirits to see that we had such a busy first week of reopening,” Reich says. “It was nice to feel wanted.”

Medley is located at 7881 S.W. Capitol Hwy.; it’s open 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit medleytea.com or call 503-972-3316.

Contact Kelsey O’Halloran at 503-636-1281 ext. 101 or kelseyo@pamplinmedia.com.