Clark's Coffee Brings Fresh Energy to Former Stumptown Space in Portland
Howard Bryman| August 18, 2026 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, whereClark’s Coffeehas opened its first cafe in a storied formerStumptown Coffee Roastersspace. 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 asOne 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
Howard Bryman| August 18, 2026 At the new Clark’s Coffee cafe in Portland, Oregon.
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