SPOKANE, Wash. – Known for its community-driven ethos, Ladder Coffee in Spokane is more than just a coffee shop. It serves up second chances alongside its locally roasted brews.
Owner Aaron Rivkin credits the city’s support for his coffee business, which he founded in 2017. Rivkin’s journey began with humble beginnings, serving coffee to friends from his front porch.
“Just serving friends,” Rivkin said. “The goal was always to bring a successful hospitality model to Spokane that people are able to experience every time they came in.”
Ladder Coffee has grown into a space aimed at helping others climb their own “life ladders.” Rivkin knows the climb well. He is a two-time felon and ex heroin addict who has found renewed purpose in his business. His story is one of redemption and hope, both for himself and for others.
Local pastor Rory Lewellyn, a regular at Ladder Coffee, attests to the supportive atmosphere.
“He’s the God of second chances. It’s what He does best,” Lewellyn said. “A few weeks ago, met with a guy right over there who is just recently out of prison, and we just talked about life, and we talked we looked at the Bible together. We talked about the future and that there’s hope.”
Rivkin acknowledges that his journey relied heavily on the support he received from Spokane’s residents. He received a loan from a friend to jumpstart his business, describing it as the most money he’d ever seen in my life.
It was $80,000.
“It’s not a handout. I gotta pay it back,” Rivkin said. “Spokane 100% has supported us.”
Rivkin turned his life around 13 years ago when he gave up the drugs for good. But now, he’s the dealer – serving a better way to a better life one dose of caffeine at a time.
“We also have to be able to touch their souls and help them see that they’re valuable, that they’re worth something,” Rivkin said. “They are a product of something greater than themselves.”
