My New Favorite Coffee Shop on Highway 2

I've never driven into Skykomish. I’ve driven by dozens of times and zoomed by on a train a few times—until a couple of weekends ago when my family was driving back to Wenatchee from a weekend trip to the west side.

The Skykomish story.

In 1893, Skykomish became an essential rail town for the Great Northern Railroad. The thriving young mountain village had a hotel, a store, a restaurant, a school, mills, and many saloons.

Skykomish (circa 1912) Credit: Lee Pickett (UW Special Collections, Public Domain)

A 1904 fire burnt down most of the town’s commercial center, but within a year, a new hotel was built, along with a pool hall, three saloons, and a restaurant or two. Completing the Cascade Highway in 1925 (a narrow dirt road paved in the 1930s) gave the town life. -Alan J. Stein via Historylink.org

Highway travel through town for about a half dozen years helped the local economy until Highway 2 was rerouted to the other side of the river in the 1930s.

Maintaining a grasp on the lifeblood of automotive transportation, the town built a bridge to it in 1939. Nevertheless, many folks now passed “by” Skykomish rather than through it. -Alan J. Stein via Historylink.org

Very little else changed in Skykomish, which kept its railroad town charm.

I blindly discovered my new favorite coffee shop.

In need of coffee for the long drive back to Wenatchee, I asked my wife to look up quality coffee shops along Highway 2.

She found “Sky River Coffee” in Skykomish.

Credit: Connor

It had an excellent rating on Google. We crossed an old bridge and onto a row of old multi-storied walk-up buildings facing modern railroad tracks and the green Cascade mountainside. I ordered an Americano with a generous amount of cold almond milk. I also had a cheese Danish pastry.

Before leaving, I asked Monica, who prefers to be called Mo’, a few questions about her coffee shop.

Connor: How many years ago did you purchase this space?

Mo’: I created this space about four years ago.

C: What used to be here?

M: It used to be empty and derelict. A building falling apart. (which left) a lot of work to be done. Trees and moss were growing here. But before that, in the 1970s, there was a bar and restaurant in this space. There was a market on the other side, the other retail space. There were three floors of housing up above that primarily housed railroad workers.

C; I read that this used to be the location of Skykomish’s original hotel, which burned down.

M: Yes, it did burn down. This building was built was built in 1906.

Mo', Sky River Coffee's creator in beautiful Skykomish. CREDIT: Connor

C: Before starting Sky River Coffee four years ago, where did you learn your craft? Did you own another space?

M: I never owned another space. I did work in town; I had a good rapport with the community. Years ago, I did barista training at a homeless youth training center in Seattle.

My Americano tasted great and kept me alert on the mountain highway. Mo’ does a great job of training local staff to make quality drinks and provide the community with tasty food. On top of all this, Mo' has a place for children to draw, color, and play!