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Portland’s most en vogue ice cream shop opens its second location Friday on Northwest 23rd Avenue.

The renovation to the space that most recently housed a Mio Gelato is now complete, and you can see the work the project team did to give the space a historic feel.

The building was originally built in 1911 as the Esquire Nob Hill Theatre. The building has since been divided into two retail spaces, but you can still see remnants of the theatre; if you look up, you can see what once was the theatre’s balcony.

Salt & Straw owner Kim Malek said she wanted the shop to have a “mercantile” feel, sort of like an old general store where all the goods are displayed on shelves.  Contractor Hammer and Hand helped her achieve this vision with lots of reclaimed wood, high ceilings and garage doors.

Now, Salt & Straw is a pretty new business – it’s only been around since last summer – and Hammer and Hand isn’t exactly the cheapest contractor in town. But Malek said she was willing to go with the firm because she likes its work and wants customers to have a great experience with the shop’s atmosphere as well as with its ice cream.

And besides, with all the great press the shop is getting – and with summer right around the corner – it can probably afford whatever it wants.

Salt & Straw project team:

Architect: John Cooley, John Cooley Architect LLC, Portland
Construction: , Portland
Interior decorating: Sarah Littlefield, , Seattle