Today, Mia and More opened along SE 82nd Avenue across from Hong Phat Food Center. Owner Michelle Tran relocated her business from Beaverton to be closer to the thriving Vietnamese community in this area. The shop’s menu features fresh-pressed sugarcane juice, milk tea, fruit smoothies, and Vietnamese street food. Permitting delays and labor shortages pushed back the shop’s launch, causing a five-month gap in operations and leaving loyal customers wondering where they had gone. However, days prior to opening, eager customers begin strolling in, excited to rediscover this unique sugarcane restaurant.

The Mia and More brand originated in Kent, Washington, several years ago. The owners license the name to other independent store operators across the country and supply licensees with sugarcane sourced from trusted farms in Vietnam. The Beaverton location was the first Mia and More in Oregon and is the only store offering this fresh-pressed Vietnamese treat in the State. The original site was a suitable location to introduce the brand to Oregonians. However, Tran knew SE Portland would be a better location, and with the lease ending in Beaverton, she decided to move. They secured this location in the Annex building and applied for the permits in March 2022. The original storefront closed in July for what was supposed to be a month-long transition to the new space. “The permit took six months, and after that, I had to deal with contractors. They are just so busy that they wouldn’t show up on the day they said,” explained Tran. To speed up construction timelines, Mia and More staff opted to build a smaller kitchen space, forcing them to cut some food items from the menu. They also ditched plans for a walk-in freezer and went with free-standing units. Those choices and an understanding permitting office who provided a temporary occupancy certificate allowed the business to reopen before the end of the year.

Mia and More has seven part-time employees working alongside Tran’s family at this location. Many of the staff are college students taking advantage of the flexible hours. During winter, they will open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week. In the summer, they plan to extend that time to 9 p.m. when the sunlight lasts into the evening. Tran noted that customers do not walk around on 82nd Avenue during the darker hours because it can feel less safe. She was grateful that the building owners invested in the storefront’s appearance and security. “The landlord did a lot of improvement in the building, so now at night, all the lights are on, so it’s bright, and you feel much better.”

The Mia and More staff are excited to see the returning customers from Beaverton and the new customers from the local Vietnamese community that did not make the journey to the original space. However, Michelle Tran is also hopeful that an expanded audience of Montavilla residents will enjoy her drinks. “We want to get some more non-Vietnamese people to check us out and see how they like it,” said Tran. Located at 326 SE 82nd Avenue, Mia and More is within walking distance from SE Stark and NE Glisan Street. They are in a soft opening period as the staff becomes accustomed to the new facility, but people are welcome to swing by any time and try something new or find that sweet drink you have been missing.

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