Roam Coffee now open in Medical Lake

MEDICAL LAKE - Roam Roasters, a roasting company based in Harrington, Washington, is bringing their coffee to Medical Lake. As of July 1, they are open for business on Lake Street and ready to get involved with the community.

For owner Shelley Quigley, a coffee shop was a goal for the far, far future. A fifth-generation farmer, she and her husband had remodeled an 80-year-old building on their property and turned it into a roastery. They were providing custom blends and roasts to companies in the Pacific Northwest by 2019. They boasted beans from Guatemala, Papa New Guinea, Brazil, Columbia and Zambia.

"As farmers, we chose our importer, where we get our beans from, because of the way they support the farmers and the region that they're in," Quigley said. "That was an important component to us, farmers supporting farmers and trying to connect people."

Connecting people to farming and to the coffee they drink was a big part of their business. Roam Roasters offers tours and tastings out at the farm. It was during one of these tours and tastings that Gerri Johnson, who owns Farm Salvation in Medical Lake and the building it is in, brought up the idea of a coffee shop. She had an open space in her building and thought it would be perfect.

After some deliberation, they decided to go ahead with the shop in April of 2021. They renovated the space and incorporated some of the design elements from the roastery. Around 45 people applied for a job at Roam Coffee, and they worked hard to spread the word about their grand opening.

"Many of the community members have been here a long time and they've seen this part of the building go through a lot of different things," Quigley said. "Most recently it was a hair salon, and sometime in the past it was an ice cream shop."

Now it's a sit-down coffee shop. They also offer Revival tea and a food menu, all of which is locally sourced. They're currently working on expanding the menu, as there was more demand than expected. Quigley was quick to clarify, however, that they aren't trying to compete with Lefevre Bakery across the street or any other Medical Lake bakeries.

"I really strongly believe in the collaboration over competition mindset," Quigley said. "With the lake being so close to the main street, I think of that old adage, 'The rising tide lifts all ships.' I think when you have more options, more people come."

So far the reception has been positive. People have been most excited about the sit-down aspect of the shop, as well as the later hours. Roam Coffee is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., offering a late-night place to hang out in Medical Lake.

As for the future, Quigley has plans to engage even more with the community. She sees a book club in the shop's future, one that aligns with Roam Coffee's theme of travel, as well as paint nights. They're also planning to host a monthly clean-up of the three-mile loop around the lake. A member of the staff will lead it, and community members will be rewarded with free coffee, a coupon or something similar.

"We wanted to blend from farmers supporting farmers to people loving people," Quigley said. "It's important to us that when you come in, especially if you come in regularly, that you feel loved and you feel appreciated."

Riley Kankelberg can be reached at [email protected].