North Side coffee shop Ladders Coffee & Toast closed its shop at 603 W. Hastings late last month, as it prepares to move to a newly remodeled space at 1516 W. Riverside, near Browne’s Addition.

Owner Aaron Rivkin says he started Ladder Coffee & Toast last May as a pop-up shop on the front porch of his home on Saturday mornings.

“In the warmer months, we had 120 people coming to our house every Saturday,” he says. “Once it got colder, we moved to the Hastings space, where we’ve been since November.”

Rivkin says Ladder roasts all of its own coffee and also offers a full toast menu, which includes avocado toast and other signature toppings.

“Our new location will have tea and coffee beverages, seasonal menu items, and our signature toast menu,” he says. 

Rivkin is the businesses’ only employee so far, though he does plan to hire at least three new employees to work in the new space. 

Rivkin says he’s leasing the 6,000-square-foot former office building, which dates back to the early 1900s when it was used as single apartments for miner’s wives.

“We’re leasing the building from the owner, who’s also helping us to remodel it,” he says.

Rivkin declined to disclose the building’s owner, which is listed in city records as Pend Oreille Associates WA LLC.

Rivkin says the building’s first level is currently being remodeled into a 1,500-square-foot coffee shop and a separate, 300-square-foot roasting space.

“We’ve designed it so that there’s a viewing window where customers can sit in the coffee shop and watch the roasting process,” he says. “We’ve nearly completed the build out and expect to be opening by mid-October.”