See See Motor Coffee — The Crescent

Reported by Ashleigh Scheuneman

Photographed by Jen Wright

NEWBERG, Ore. - A Newberg service station was recently transformed into See See Motor Coffee, a motorcycle themed coffee shop.

After launching in Portland, the Newberg branch has been open for about two months and offers the unique experience of being surrounded by hand-built motorcycles and hand-painted helmets.

Interior of See See Motor Coffee photographed by Jen Wright

“You can be fascinated just by looking around. Literally everything in here is built by hand, so every shelf, every bar, every table, me and the owner built and put together. The tables the bikes are on, the merch racks, the bar, every piece of metal or woodwork we did by hand. Every shop we have is extremely personalized. There’s no corporate touches to it,” said Conner Runia, manager of the Newberg See See Motor Coffee. As for the helmets, Runia said that they were part of a competition introduced to local high schoolers, and the winner’s designs are the ones displayed.

COVID-19 has taken a toll on many local businesses, but for See See Motor Coffee, Runia said it is now business as usual. According to Runia, See See Motor Coffee is following state guidelines with regards to health and safety protocols, and offers a diverse range of indoor and outdoor seating options.

Outside of See See Motor Coffee photographed by Jen Wright

While they do not currently offer a student discount, Runia said that something is “in the works” and they are “trying to figure out something more interesting than, like, a blanket ten percent, like everyone does,” said Runia.

Outise of See See Motor Coffee photographed by Jen Wright

For first-time visitors, Runia recommends the cold brew. “We roast our own coffee, we make our cold brew in house. As far as cold brew goes, it’s pretty darn good,” Runia said. “That’s generally what we get. Another favorite is cortattas.”

To Runia, See See Motor Coffee is one of those places where good coffee and a distinctive atmosphere come together to make one great shop. “You can just stare at bikes all day and be fascinated by custom built bikes,” he said. “I personally just like staring at these bikes and thinking about how someone had to build them and how cool that is that someone had to do that.”

See See Motor Coffee is open to anyone, not just motorcycle enthusiasts. “We’re just trying to offer and be something very unique for Newberg,” Runia said. “If you’re into this sort of thing, racing and motorsports, it’s just very unique and kind of an experience just to come here.”

If any George Fox University student is looking for a novel coffee shop experience, See See Motor Coffee is a great place for well-crafted drinks and an interesting atmosphere.