“Arvid Brown, my business partner in Room for Improvement, and I were loosely considering a second concept that would be the complete opposite of our current bar. Whereas Room is small, cloistered, full of history, and kind of inherently divey, we wanted something bright, airy, fun, and eclectic, driven by natural wine and low-ABV cocktails. Bryce Summers and Garrett Lenderman, our two front-of-house partners at Cutie’s, were also thinking about opening a bar, and Ryan Nielsen, our chef-partner, was looking to do his own project as well. We started chatting about it casually, and this space, which used to be Petite Jacqueline, came up. It’s set above the street, it has floor-to-ceiling windows, and it’s in the heart of town, but it was too big for any of us to take on individually. We decided to do it together, and the concept kept evolving from there.

“We did most of the design direction and then tapped a lot of old friends who are skilled artisans, contractors, and designers and sort of cobbled it all together. Aaron Black, a buddy of mine, completed our build-out at Room for Improvement and also did the vast majority of the construction here at Cutie’s. He’s great to work with because he brings things to life in a functional and aesthetically pleasing way every time. Tyler Gross, who works under the name Dr. Slime, went above and beyond with our graphic design, and as we started to make aesthetic choices about the interior, we really leaned in to his artwork. He produced some bigger pieces for us that now adorn the walls. In juxtaposition to his style is the abstract mural in the entryway by Jenna Pirello. My friend Ben Houtkamp, who is a stained-glass artist in Chicago, designed the centerpiece chandelier that hangs in the corner. It’s almost Tiffany-esque, but with a little contemporary flair. It taps into our colors and is just as beautiful at night as a focal point. John Sundling over at Plant Office helped us with the plants and installation, and I sourced a lot of weird, eclectic planters on Etsy and eBay. We’ve got probably 60 or 70 plants, so the place is going to be a jungle soon.

“We always envisioned this as a daytime space as well as an evening space, but we didn’t initially know how it would feel at night. When we first opened for nights only, we immediately noticed this vibey, sexy feeling. It’s still airy, but we crank up the music, lower the lights, and turn on some lamps. It’s a much quieter hang in the morning when people are out with their laptops, having meetings, and getting breakfast sandwiches. Ultimately, we wanted to create something that Portland had never seen before—something fun and playful with a sense of nostalgia that can’t be pinpointed as referring to any particular era. It harkens back to a time when things were slower, chiller, and more comfortable.”

—Nick Coffin, owner