Mikiko Mochi Donuts Bridgeport Village Will Open This Summer

Recently, Mikiko Mochi Donuts teased a story about a possible new location for this popular gluten-free donut shop. I asked them what was going on, and that led to a conversation with Alex McGillivray, one of company’s founders, about the new Mikiko Mochi Donuts Bridgeport Village. Here is what I learned.

The New Location of Mikiko Mochi Donuts Bridgeport Village

They will be moving into what was the Happy Lemon space in Bridgeport Village. This is right next to the California Pizza Kitchen and the Regal Bridgeport Village movie theater. In our conversation, I learned that this theater is one of the busiest on the west coast, with 18 theaters and an IMAX.

This location adds to the diversity of spaces Mikiko Mochi Donuts occupy—there are those in the city, at the PDX airport, and in the suburbs. Note: The current Beaverton location will close.

“We’re looking forward to a different venue within Portland,” said Alex. “We have a diversified portfolio within the metro area at this point between our urban flagship, our suburban mall, and our airport locations.”

But one of the things that’s unique to the Bridgeport Village location, is that this mall is run by a property company called CenterCal, which handles properties throughout the west. This means Mikiko Mochi Donuts could have opportunities to be placed within the CenterCal family of properties, yielding a farther reach and opportunities for growth. In fact there were some available spaces in other CenterCal malls, but the Bridgeport Village location ended up being the best fit at this moment in time.

“If this one works, it is the roadmap for the future for us,” added Alex. “So that’s what’s most exciting about it to me.”

CenterCal

CenterCal describes themselves as a “full-service commercial real estate company investing, developing, leasing, and management.” In Oregon they mange three shopping centers: Bridgeport Village, Nyberg Rivers, and Nyberg Woods, all located in Washington County.

CenterCal’s portfolio contains shopping centers with descriptors like “exclusive,” “top-tier,” and “specialty.” Brands are well-known and range from Starbucks to Whole Foods, Old Navy to Vans, Sephora to Ulta. Bridgeport Village offers “exclusive, internationally renowned stores and boutiques.” This includes Chanel, lululemon, Madewell, Anthropologie, and Fogo de Chão, among others.

And in the very near future, Mikiko Mochi Donuts.

Flexibility Is an Advantage

Mikiko Mochi’s needs, as far as infrastructure goes, are fairly minimal. Transitioning into the Happy Lemon space in Bridgeport Village has been relatively easy—“pretty much a cosmetic fit,” according to Alex. This kind of adjustment does not need a buildout or extensive construction. Signage, of course, is a significant part of this relatively simple transition.

And over the years of experiencing different types of spaces, they’ve found they really like “second generation” spaces—not new construction and not very old construction, but something that’s still modern with a history of stability. Spaces that formerly held things like tea shops, bakery/cookie shops, and cafes are pretty easy for Mikiko Mochi Donuts to move into.

Alex is keeping an eye on various opportunities that come up at the different CenterCal retail centers. When one does become available, he then then works with the property management folks to see if any of these spaces could work for their donut shop. He sees their brand staying in the Northwest chunk of the U.S., primarily, so new opportunities in Washington, Idaho, and Utah are appealing.

Expansion Dreams?

I asked Alex if, when he and Emily started Mikiko Mochi Donuts, they had they envisioned expanding past the Portland area. “Not necessarily,” he replied. “I mean, when I started this company, I didn’t even envision having a single store—it was a side hustle.”

He continued. “But things have obviously evolved over time. I think that it’s really just in the past couple years years that I’ve realized that Portland is difficult. The ceiling in Portland is very low, and it’s a very competitive market.”

One reason that it’s competitive is the attentiveness to dietary issues/needs. Good for someone with, say, celiac, but competitive among the swath of gluten-free businesses. There are a lot of places in America where one or two gluten-free businesses are the proverbial little fish in a big pond. Not in Portland.

What To Expect at Mikiko Mochi Donuts Bridgeport Village

So will there be any new things or changes at this Mikiko Mochi Donut location?

“We’re going to have some degree of differentiation,” Alex explained. “So now there’s a vacuum with drinks there, with Happy Lemon going out. There’s a Peet’s and Tanaka has matcha, but other than that it’s pretty wide open.”

He continued, “So we are planning on fleshing out our drink menu, building on some of the composed tea-lemonade drink specials that we run on 28th in the summer. We do like like a hibiscus-lemongrass tea with rose syrup and lemonade or a yuzu-Earl Grey-lavender lemonade. Fun Arnold Palmer-esque stuff. 

I also asked if they have a flavor that does particularly well. “The ones that are the perennial bestsellers are the passion fruit curd and horchata pudding donuts.”

Opening the Bridgeport Village Mikiko Mochi Donut Shop

They are looking at opening in about four weeks there in the Tualatin-Tigard area. Thursday, August 20 is a goal date, but that is not etched in stone.

All the best to Alex as he works to open this Bridgeport Village store, and for all the potential expansion of Mikiko Mochi Donuts further into the western U.S.

Mikiko Mochi Donuts, Bridgeport Village [projected opening August 20, 2026]
7455 SW Bridgeport Road Tigard
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