PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Celebrated Portland artist Mike Bennett issued a statement on the Wonderwood Springs Instagram account on Sept. 15 following a reported dispute between the coffee shop’s recently laid-off employees and its previous owner Sortis Holdings.
Bennett said that he is preparing to take full control of the coffee shop after Sortis Holdings, a local hospitality management company that owns prominent Portland businesses like Bamboo Sushi, Sizzle Pie, Barista and the Ace Hotel, decided to end its involvement with Wonderwood Springs cafe. Bennett said that the coffee shop’s former employees were offered a transfer to other Sortis Holdings businesses or to reapply for their Wonderwood Springs jobs under Bennett’s management. However, the employees allegedly declined these offers.
PDX Eater reported that the Wonderwood Springs staff was given two weeks’ notice before the cafe shut down for renovations. When it reopens, Bennett said in his statement that the shop will operate as a “brand-new business” with a “new direction.” While the laid-off employees were asked to reapply for jobs at the new business, the former employees told PDX Eater their employment was never guaranteed.
“There is information circulating that all the staff at the currently third-party owned Wonderwood Springs were all let go without protections or support,” Bennett said in the social media statement. “This, fortunately, is not the case. The current ownership provided a variety of employment and transitional support to the staff. Additionally, as part of this transition, all current staff were invited to reapply and join us on this new concept adventure. This will be a brand new business and I wanted to ensure each and every person would be aligned with the new direction. They, however, did not choose to pursue this option. This is not the outcome I had planned for, nor wanted.”
A spokesperson with the Sortis-owned coffee business Coffee Business told KOIN 6 News that the company understands the impact the change has on the former Wonderwood Springs employees and that it continues to make efforts to support them during the transitional period. While the company said that it enjoyed its time running Wonderwood Springs, it added that the cafe would serve “the greatest benefit to the community in the hands of its artistic visionary.” For that reason, the company said that it “gifted” the ownership of the business and all of its assets directly to Bennett.
“Coffee Business deeply appreciates and values the employees who contributed so much to Wonderwood Springs while it was under our management, which is why post-ownership change we offered each of our previous employees an opportunity to remain employed with us by transitioning to one of our sister establishments,” the spokesperson said. “While that offer was declined, we have continued to make efforts to support them through this transitional period. This includes providing alternative employment opportunities, offering resources for personal development like resume writing and interview coaching, and ensuring open communication channels through HR.”
Prior to the change in ownership, Bennett said that he was only involved with the business through artwork licensing, theming and merchandise sales. Now, he plans to have “100% control” of the business and said he aims to better incorporate the shop with the adjacent building used for his rotating exhibits.
Read Bennett’s full statement issued on the change in ownership:
Hi, everyone, Mike Bennett here. Recently, I was given the opportunity to become the owner of Wonderwood Springs. The current owners were a fortunate interim partner, but ultimately, they have decided to move on from the space. Prior to becoming the new owner of Wonderwood Springs, my only involvement was licensing my artwork as theming, decor and merchandise. I’m thankful for the chance to make Wonderwood Springs my own moving forward, with the goal to fully and truly unite the cafe with the nearby immersive space.
In the subsequent slides, I hope to detail the new changes coming to the cafe, as well as clear up any misinformation that may exist currently. To those who have reached out to share concerns, feedback, and well-wishes, I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to engage with the cafe land me) in that way. I’m an artist first and foremost but learning how to run a business like this will be a challenge I’m looking forward to. I will approach this new venture with the utmost respect and kindness for everyone involved, as I hope you have witnessed in my past work.
There is information circulating that all the staff, at the currently third-party owned Wonderwood Springs, were all let go without protections or support. This, fortunately, is not the case. The current ownership provided a variety of employment and transitional support to the staff. Additionally, as part of this transition, all current staff were invited to reapply and join us on this new concept adventure. This will be a brand-new business and I wanted to ensure each and every person would be aligned with the new direction. They, however, did not choose to pursue this option. This is not the outcome I had planned for, nor wanted.
The staff have planned a picket for the cafe this afternoon. I support their right to do so. I hold absolutely no animosity towards them. I value their voices and am so grateful to have known most of them for the last year. It’s discouraging that we could not move forward together. I had hoped to continue a dialogue to work out some sort of agreement but was told that they no longer wished to speak with me unless the third-party ownership was present as well. Due to the negativity surrounding this situation I wanted to share my personal insight. I don’t claim to be in the right, but I do claim that I did what I believed to be right in the moment.
I’d love to fill in everyone on the current plans and changes I intend to make at the cafe. Having 100% control in the business is exciting, challenging, and freeing and despite this current situation I plan to charge ahead to create an improved space for our patrons and neighbors in St. Johns, and all of Portland.
We can now unite all the spaces, making improvements to the immersive space, parking lot, alleyway, and the cafe. We plan to invite food carts to call our parking lot home and hold new and exciting events. All of this is an effort to enrich the neighborhood and create new opportunities for folks in the food industry, as well as makers, artists, and all the other amazing dreamers and thinkers across this unique city.
I offer my sincerest thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this lengthy post. Your support is everything. Keep your eyes peeled for future news and updates as we work tirelessly to bring you something new, unique, and welcoming in the future.
-Mike Bennett & Mike Bennett Studios
