Clark's Coffee Brings Fresh Energy to Former Stumptown Space in Portland
Clark’s Coffee has opened its first cafe in a storied former Stumptown Coffee Roasters space.
“We’re very involved with the roasting. We did all the cuppings with her, she gave us the variety, explained the farms. We got to choose from those and we designed the profiles.”
Clark’s was founded in November 2025 by Clark Johnson and their business and life partner Ricky Rickman, selling drinks and roasted coffees at a series of pop-ups. Rickman, who moved to Portland from California just before the pandemic and was studying photography at Portland Community College, met Johnson at their neighborhood shop, See See Motor Coffee (now known as One Moto Cafe), where Johnson was a barista.
As their relationship deepened, so did their desire to start their own coffee business.
With the new venture, Clark’s has brought distinctly fresh and hyper-local energy to the cafe.
Espresso cups, matcha bowls and other wares come from Couch Ceramics, founded by Johnson’s former Coava Coffee coworker Lucy Chan. Portland-based Specialty Coffee Supply Founder Nicole Tignor roasts Clark’s coffees and is also a mentor and family friend.
running for Portland City Council in District 3, provided Clark’s with a Mazzer grinder, Fetco batch brewer and Hive cold brew system free of charge to help jumpstart the business.
Stumptown’s Belmont closure also came shortly before Keurig Dr Pepper completed its approximately $18 billion acquisition of JDE Peet’s, the parent company of Peet’s Coffee, which has owned Stumptown since 2015. For many, the closing left a hole in the neighborhood, both physically and symbolically.