Clark’s Coffee Brings Fresh Energy to Former Stumptown Space in Portland

At the new Clark’s Coffee cafe in Portland, Oregon. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

Specialty coffee service has returned to the corner of Southeast Belmont Street and Southeast 34th Avenue in Portland, Oregon’s Sunnyside neighborhood, where Clark’s Coffee has opened its first cafe in a storied former Stumptown Coffee Roasters space.

For 25 years ending in February, the cafe space was home to Stumptown, a pioneer of Portland’s Third Wave coffee movement. The existing bar has been refurbished and re-adorned under Clark’s watch, including a hallmark bright orange 2-group La Marzocco Linea espresso machine.

The original counter seating remains along the broad front windows. Fresh white paint covers the walls and high ceiling, while new shelves on the long exposed-brick wall display a mix of pop-culture, skate and other memorabilia.

Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

Secondhand living-room furniture fills the back of the cafe, where the menu includes single-origin coffees and blends. A signature Espresso Tonic combines the company’s Resurrection Blend with pomegranate juice, tonic and an orange peel garnish.

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.

Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

As their relationship deepened, so did their desire to start their own coffee business.

“I always thought that I would be a little older and retired, or in ‘the big kid job’ where I’m seeing good money and I could afford to do it. I thought that’s what it took,” Clark Johnson told Daily Coffee News. “I didn’t realize that you can call upon your friends and connections and also just save up and then try to get a loan.”

With the new venture, Clark’s has brought distinctly fresh and hyper-local energy to the cafe.

Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

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.

Tignor, who is also 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.

“Nicole is bending a little bit backwards for us. She’s going the extra mile,” Johnson said. “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.”

Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

Tignor’s emphasis on direct producer relationships aligns with Clark’s goals around fair wages and employee benefits as the business grows.

“I’d rather have less money and push to get by so that everyone else has a fair wage,” Johnson said. “Ricky and I were like, if we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do it right. Right off the bat, whoever is involved, even if it’s only one or two people, they’re getting paid fairly and transparently, and we’re gonna up that as we go.”

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. 

Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

Thus the fiercely independent nature of the new shop has found an especially warm welcome among Portland coffee lovers. 

“It’s been here forever,” said Johnson. “So that’s a huge honor for us, and it’s huge shoes to fill. But the neighborhood’s been nothing but encouraging and very loving.”

Clark’s Coffee is located at 3356 SE Belmont St, Portland.

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