Down Couch St. Memory Lane
It’s the end of an era, but we’re looking forward to new beginnings!
When we opened what was then called Real Good Food to the public in 2019, we had no idea what the next 5 years would look like.
We envisioned a warehouse-y chef’s supply store, catering to restaurants as we’d always done but open to the public too. We kept the space pretty bare-bones, installed some industrial shelving and a vermouth tap, and opened the doors without really knowing what to expect.
Well it turned out pretty great, and as we grew and got busier and met more people, we started adding new stuff to our shelves: items our community asked for and things we wanted to eat and drink ourselves but were having a hard time finding elsewhere.
Pretty soon, our quirky little restaurant supply shop had turned into a full-blown market, and in 2021 we decided to separate our wholesale and retail businesses and rebrand the shop as Wellspent Market to better represent what 935 Couch had become.
In the years since, we’ve continued to expand our vision of what a corner market can be. Our friends Fulamingo–specialists in all things Japanese–joined us in 2022, opening a permanent shop-in-shop featuring hard to find sake, snacks, and pantry items alongside offerings from our other in-store partners Culinary Breeding Network and the vintage ceramics specialists Hey Day. And we’ve remained true to our roots as olive oil importers, working directly with small producers to bring the tastiest treats we can find to Portland, which is why we’re so thrilled to move into our new digs in the vibrant, food-loving Division Street neighborhood.
We’ll be joining a community of other incredible food and beverage businesses at our new location, including friends we’ve worked with for a long time (Pinolo Gelato, Olympia Provisions, Lauretta Jean’s) and beloved spots we frequent ourselves (Division Wines, Oma’s Hideaway, Little Beast), plus so many more. It may be a new era for Wellspent, but you can expect the same dedication to deliciousness we’ve cultivated over the years, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Thank you all SO MUCH for a wonderful half decade at 935 NE Couch, and we can’t wait to see you over at the new spot!
