Our Story

Waldport Video Store was owned and operated by Patrick Charles “Chuck” Hill, and for locals it was a hub. For more than thirty years Chuck was a friend, a mentor and a guidance counselor.

He created an environment of acceptance for the local young people who felt misplaced or misunderstood. He supported school activities, provided condoms to anyone who asked, and passed out unconditional love like fruity tootsie-rolls.

Chuck was an artist, too.

Diana got involved in community activities, art ones mostly, through her friend Amy Whipple Anderson. Both of them had come from corporate backgrounds, which meant twelve- and fourteen-hour days and no time left over for an outside interest.

After a personal tragedy in her life, Amy took up art as a form of therapy. By the time she and Diana met she was an established artist, selling work locally and online. She talked Diana into picking up a paint brush, and that is what led to Diana’s interest in the Waldport community.

When Diana brought them the opportunity, Jamie and Melissa were glad to invest in the building alongside her. Jamie is Diana’s daughter, and trusted her mother’s instincts about what the place could become.

The building had been a landmark here for decades. Being part of its history was a good part of the appeal.

Once the building was theirs, Diana went looking for a local contractor. In February 2022 she came to an agreement with Adam Glasgow, who owns Glasgow Enterprises. The two of them worked out quickly that they wanted the same things from the building, and Adam had been friends with Chuck, so the place already meant something to him.

There was no drawing and no plan. Diana would walk in with a roll of blue tape and say “So, I have this idea…”, and the two of them would measure, mark out the floor and talk it through. It became the phrase either of them used whenever one had a new idea about a design change or a new concept. And so the café was built.

Every step of the way, we used local labor and materials wherever we could. Two of the things people notice first were made by friends.

Café Chill was always meant to be more than a spot to come and have great coffee and wonderful food. It was meant to be a place of community: classes, stage performances, open mics, special events, youth activities. Outreach for local at-risk young people, and a way for retired members of the community to teach and mentor.

It was meant to make room for local artists, and to give neighbors a reason to be in the same room as each other.

The dream was to open the door onto a welcoming environment filled with laughter, harmony and purpose.