Rivers Coffeehouse and Bistro is Morton’s Hidden Gem

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When visitors on the way to Mount Rainier stop in Morton for a cup of coffee, they stumble into a secret locals have been keeping for years: Rivers Coffeehouse and Bistro. 

You may walk into Rivers looking for a quick caffeine jolt, but you’ll soon find yourself wanting to settle in by the fireplace, grab a book from the extensive lending library and order a made-from-scratch meal that holds up to any trendy eats in Seattle.

Born-and-bred Morton resident Curtis Rich opened Rivers in 2003, then known as the Bean Tree Coffee House. Rich had traveled the world as an airline pilot with Hawaiian Airlines, but when he was furloughed from that job, he decided to open up shop back home.

“It was a welcome change from traveling all over the world to being able to spend time connecting with the people of my hometown,” he said. “I wanted to bring good coffee and a comfortable place for Morton to hang out.”

For four years, Rich ran the place by himself, learning, well, on the fly. With no business background, he figured things out through “trial and error.” The business started out with just coffee and pastries, but when customers convinced him to add a lunch menu, it quickly became the shop’s biggest business.

After a few years of running the show, Rich returned to flying, so he hired a manager to keep the store running in his absence. By 2013, he was burned out from flying full time and handling the business, and he thought he was ready to sell the shop. That’s when Shiloh Reynolds came onto the scene. 

Reynolds, who works in mental health, had for a long time rented a space in Rich’s building that now serves as the community room. The two had known each other for something like a decade, and both were surprised when Rich founding himself asking her on a date.

“It wasn’t on the radar for either of us,” Rich said. 

The two quickly hit it off, and and soon Reynolds was throwing her energy into the shop as well as the relationship. Rich rediscovered his motivation. 

“He was going to close it down, and I said, ‘No. Don’t.’ I don’t know what we’d do together if we didn’t have it,” Reynolds said, turning to Rich. “I might like you still.”

The couple, now married, travels frequently together, visiting coffee shops around the world, taking notes and always coming back with new ideas. Still, Rivers stays true to its Morton roots. Wooden snowshoes and skis are mounted on the walls, and mountain imagery covers the walls. The 1930s-era building, once a tavern, still retains its original bar. 



“We really understand the importance of treating our locals like family,” Rich said. “It’s turned into more of a community developing project than anything. It’s not our source of income. We do it because we love it. We love the community.”

Reynolds noted that Rivers can be jam-packed with visitors from all over the world during the summer months, but hearing locals’ appreciation for its role as a year-round community gathering place makes the endeavor rewarding.

“We get thanks all the time,” she said. “People are very, very gracious.” 

Rivers continues to evolve. Three years ago, it added a dinner menu and beers from Fish Tale Ales in Olympia. More recently, Rich and Reynolds began roasting their own coffee, which has been very well received. They’re working to bring in more frequent live music, and they’re starting to turn six upstairs units into an inn (the building was originally a hotel). 

The two will continue experimenting with the menu, though Reynolds noted locals can get pretty attached to their favorites. 

“It’s a crazy menu,” Reynolds said. “It has so many items. Our shopping is out of control.” 

Rivers has breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, and popular items include a salmon and avocado benedict, fish tacos and a chicken bacon ranch wrap. The pair have tried to cultivate options that appeal to everyone, with food that suits vegan, paleo and ketogenic diets. 

“As well as just some good old, down-home cooking,” Rich said. 

The pair buy everything they can locally, with weekly runs into town for everything else. They make everything they can from scratch. But no matter how popular Rivers becomes — and once you’ve had the food, a return visit becomes inevitable — they committed to maintaining that cozy vibe, greeting many of their customers on a first-name basis. 

“We want to maintain our identity as a coffeehouse,” Rich said. “We don’t want to be a restaurant that’s focused on turning tables.”