Renton’s The Landing finally attracted a coffee shop, after Starbucks abandoned the location about a year and a half ago.

Caffe Felice opened in the same building the company remodeled before breaking its lease.

The clean new store, opened by Kelly and Ron Stilwell, has the look of a Starbucks with the feel of a privately owned business.

The hand-pressed coffee, Caffe Vita, swirls in cozy mugs while movie-goers and Boeing employees stream steadily in the store.

The Stilwells had the idea to open the shop after visiting The Landing’s theater. To their dismay, they discovered that there wasn’t a coffee joint to hang out in after their movie.

“The idea has been brewing for a long time,” said Kelly Stilwell.

Stilwell comes from corporate America as an entry-level mortgage broker. She loathed the job and the industry.

“I got in trouble for laughing at work,” she said, difficult for someone who named her coffee shop after the Italian word for happy.

After being denied a promised promotion, she decided it was enough.

“I did some serious soul searching for what was going to be good for me and my family,” she said. “It’s really scary to open a business. It either works or you lose your house.”

Felice is a family place, with the couple’s 8-year-old son often seen laughing with baristas or busy studying. They hope to fill a shelf with children’s books.

The corner shop has several tables perfect for laptops, books and board games. The ceilings are high and windows bring in plenty of light.

Their pastry case is stocked next to fresh sandwiches and cold drinks.

It’s the first cafe outside Seattle to sell High Five Pies. Look for the single-serving desserts on Friday.

“We’re trying to do everything as local and as organic as possible,” Stilwell said.

Live music is planned for every Friday. Wi-Fi access is free.

While much of the store was designed by Starbucks, the company left in a hurry, Stilwell said.

Piping and wires were cut with a hack saw, mirrors were ripped from the wall and giant grooves in the concrete floor showed a company eager to get out.

At the time Starbucks decided to close several hundred stores.

The Stilwells wanted a smaller space, but The Landing convinced them that the theater would provide a high volume of customers.

Felice took the space with the agreement that they’d be the only coffee shop to open at The Landing for two years.

They’re hoping it is worth it. A week in, the shop already had regulars.

“People are just discovering us and trickling in,” Stilwell said.