Openings: New tropical vibe along busy Kennewick corridor + Richland lounge closing
Java Lava Joe has opened in Kennewick, bringing a tropical tiki vibe to one of the Tri-Cities’ oldest coffee houses.
Cedro Rodriguez and three of his daughters opened the drive-thru at 1045 W. Columbia Drive in late January.
In just two months, they’ve been flooded with inquiries is Java Lava Joe a franchise? Why isn’t there one in Pasco or Richland or Walla Walla or Spokane?
All in good time, said owner Cedro Rodriguez, a Kennewick entrepreneur who created the business from scratch. They’re open to expansion, but are focused on building the young business.
The Rodriguez family didn’t have to look far to launch the venture.
Rodriguez is a seasoned businessman who established A Different Shade, a window tinting company, on West Clearwater Avenue in 1999. When the rent tripled in the early days of the pandemic, he scouted for a new place to call home.
In 2020, he bought the former Oroweat Bakery Outlet on Columbia Drive.
The move didn’t just give him an appreciation for the volumes of traffic passing by. It made him neighbors with Armada, a collections business.
When Armada closed, Rodriguez bought its building, which was originally built in the 1990s as an internet cafe and coffee house.
Armada had remodeled the old coffee shop into an office, but the drive-thru remained. And there was enough of a kitchen left to form the basis of a new one.
Daughters Tailen Helland, Kennah Rodriguez and Ava Rodriguez took their inspiration from the family’s love of Hawaii and tropical locations. They developed their own recipes for an ambitious menu of coffee and energy drinks and frozen beverages. They installed twinkly lights, tiki imagery and a decorative surf board in the drive-thru lane.
Java Lava Joe opened as a drive-thru, but the family hopes to remodel the interior to host a cafe and live music venue.
For now, the cafe-turned-office gives ample space to store syrups and other coffee shop essentials.
It also serves as an informal home for Vibe Music and Performing Arts, a nonprofit theater group that Cedro Rodriguez helps lead.
Business hours are 6 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday. Follow Java Lava Joe on Facebook.
Aub’s Lounge closing
Aub’s Lounge, a non-alcoholic social hub meant to showcase Aub’s Bananza Bread, will close its doors in Richland at the end of March.
Aubrienne Johnson announced the decision to close on social media. She will wrap up the final chapter with Farewell Fest, four days of live music, vendor, open mic and other celebrations.
Aub’s Lounge will open at 4 p.m., Thursday-Sunday, March 26-29, at 710 George Washington Way.
Goat Health now open
Goat Health & Wellness has opened at 3121 Leslie Road No. 122 in Richland.
Goat is a membership-based clinic for patients who pay directly for chiropractic services and other services.
It was established by Dr. Tanya Brayer-Tymchuk, a chiropractor and nutritionist.
Go to goathealth.org.
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 7:00 AM.