Chet Childress is a special beast of a man. A nomadic human who seeks out the most special DIY skate spots, he's also a prolific artist that will use any surface he can get his hands on. He's rep'd Stumptown for over a decade now, and continuously hypes us up with his enthusiasm for life and art in all forms. 

We've been lucky to have a number of good mail days over the years full of Chet's latest art pieces. It was a no-brainer for him to design our Skate Team coffee and Cold Brew packaging, as well as create the designs on our latest Artist Series tote bag and mug. 

"Around 2010, my wife Jess and I had been living for a few years in an apartment above the Belmont cafe, handed down to us by Tim and Mia Root. Our place was also above the Aalto Lounge, which was between the cafe and the Annex tasting room. At that time the Aalto was a daily watering hole for Stumptown baristas and a reliable afternoon drop-by for neighborhood folks. Chet had a place down the street and we'd often see each other there and chat over afternoon beers. I knew he was something of a legendary skater but our talk was rarely about skating, usually more about neighborhood stuff, family and our aging bodies.

"One day Chet said, "Hey, you work next door, right? What would I have to do to get sponsored by Stumptown instead of some BS energy drink company?" I said, "One sec," and sent a text to Duane, who replied seconds later with "Yes."  We've been keeping him in coffee since then. He already had a weekly or bi-weekly email blast of whatever art that he was working on at the time, throughout his crazy, worldwide travels. He included us on the list and it turned out to be a years long exchange of coffee for art and cheered beers whenever he ended up back in town. Chet is definitely family, and from the way things have gone so far, probably a Stumptown lifer. Oh yeah, he also kills it on a skateboard." 

-  Jim Kelso, Stumptown Director of Quality