New cocktail bar and coffee shop opens in Kerns
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The colorful interior of Dear Sandy on opening day. Photo: Meira Gebel/Axios
After nearly a decade of standing vacant, an iconic building on the southwest corner of NE 28th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard has a new occupant.
Driving the news: Dear Sandy opened earlier this month offering "coffee, cocktails and community" in a sprawling, colorful space decked out with vintage furniture and whimsical decor.
- Owners Kate Marotta and Kyle Clark first announced Dear Sandy on New Years Day 2022 but pushed back the bar's opening after a series of permitting delays.
State of play: The menu features all-day beverages like coffee, espresso, chai and matcha, as well as specialty cocktails — with boilermakers, hot toddies, and unique twists on tonics.
- Food options include salads, sandwiches and charcuterie with gluten-free and vegan alternatives available.
What they're saying: "We wanted to make a space that was warm and welcoming to anyone any time of day," Marotta told Axios. "We do consider ourselves more of a 'space' than a bar or coffee shop."
- Marotta said Dear Sandy hopes to host art shows, movie nights and community events in the near future.
Flashback: The exterior of the building Dear Sandy now occupies — which is diagonal from The Zipper and soon-to-be Pop Blocks— remains nearly identical to when it was built in 1915 with its floor-to-ceiling, north-facing windows and pastel pink facade.
- For Marotta, that was the appeal — anytime she would pass the building she would "daydream about how epic the space could be with all of the natural light."
Details: Dear Sandy is located at 2800 NE Sandy Blvd., and is open Thursday through Monday, 8am to midnight.