URBAN RIVER SPIRITS

Michelle Garner, who co-owns Urban River Spirits (Map It) with her wife Jackie, made local history in 2025 by opening Tualatin Valley’s first zero-proof lounge in downtown Hillsboro. The business grew out of Michelle’s love of entertaining and is known for its handcrafted, fruity mixers designed for both mocktails and cocktails. Urban River Spirits’ lounge expands that vision into a welcoming, alcohol-free social space focused on connection and creativity.

The Beginning

One year during her family’s Easter celebration, Michelle was asked to bring stuff to make cocktails. She decided to try something new and created her first mixer, an experiment that would become the origin story of her nonalcoholic syrup business.

“Everybody was able to make their own cocktails, however they liked it, and I got to enjoy the festivities,” Michelle shared. “So it’s kind of a win-win, and that’s how the idea was born.”

Michelle has a background in operations, but she also wanted an outlet for creativity. That creativity led to the development of flavors unique to Urban River Spirits, such as the “Spicy Cool-Aid,” a jalapeno and watermelon mixer, and the “Caramel, Bourbon and Banana.”

When it comes to using the mixers, Michelle encourages experimentation. “The mixers are meant to be a full-fledged mixer. You can just mix it with alcohol or sparkling water, or you can add some bitters to it. [The mixers] really allow people to be creative.”

All of Urban River Spirit’s bottled syrups are made and bottled on-site, with fruit from local farms and farmers markets, and there is already a plan to expand the line to include ready-to-drink canned mocktails and infused simple syrups.

The Lounge

After having a small storefront in downtown Forest Grove for a couple of years, Michelle and Jackie opened the Urban River Spirits zero-proof lounge, the first of its kind, in downtown Hillsboro.  Here, zero-proof drinks are not just an “also-ran” or afterthought on the cocktail menu, they are the menu! Open to all ages, the lounge provides a welcoming space for people to gather in comfort on velvet seating in a speakeasy-style atmosphere.

The lounge also serves as a tasting room, where visitors can sample the syrup flavors and shop for bottles to take home.

Urban River Spirits is open Tuesday-Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

As with many small businesses in Tualatin Valley, Urban River Spirits got its start at the local farmers market.