Get To Know Chet and Judy!

If you have had the pleasure of meeting Super Jock ‘n Jill’s owners, Chet and Judy, you most likely walked away with a memorable experience. With drastically different personalities (something they will tell you), they cover most of the traits you’d want in friends. Judy is kind and genuinely wants to know you. Chet is energetic and passionate about community and relationships. And to work for them is even better.

In honor of celebrating the store’s 45th anniversary, we sat down with Chet and Judy to ask some slightly different questions. You will get to know a different side of the store, get a glimpse of their playful banter, and understand why they appreciate what they do and who they do it for.

1. Judy, how long have you been keeping Chet in line?

Judy: Well, I have been keeping Chet in line for 46 years. Our relationship predates this store. And, I’m going to tell you it’s been a lot of work.

2. How did you two meet?

J: We met in high school at Shorecrest High School.

Chet: We met in our junior year. We were friends of friends. I wasn’t from Seattle. Judy went to the same Kindergarten through high school with that same group of friends. Halfway through 9th grade my family came from the East Coast. Junior year, Judy and my brother were in the yell squad together. All the yell leaders and cheer leaders would come to our house and hang out in our big yard and pool. They spent a lot of time at our house.

J: But we started dating the summer after high school.

3. What’s it like working every day together?

C: We’ve known each other for so long. We kind of grew up together. At 17 you’re still a kid. I came from a different family. Really independent, very spontaneous. By growing up together, we have similar desires, goals, and morals. We feel like we help each other achieve more together. It’s a good partnership. We do things totally different.

J: It works better if we do different tasks and responsibilities at the store.

C: Judy is a list maker. Very organized. I’m more of the creative, spontaneous type. And actually, I was with the store a bit longer than she was. We both went to school for Education degrees. We ended up going to the same school at the end. Judy then went on to get her Master’s in administration and her Doctorate in administration. So, she spent a lot more time in education. I went to teach a little bit to try it out but I found out that I liked what the store was representing. I actually ended up managing and taking control of the store and how it worked and felt in ’81.

J: We bought the store in 1997 and I came on a year later.

C: The backend of the store needed structure so that’s when we brought Judy in.

4. Do either of you have a favorite memory of the store?

C: I have a ton because every person I interact with is always fun. It’s hard to say favorite because every day has a different challenge and nothing is a similar experience. This is where we both have different ways of how we see the store. I’m always trying to find ways to help people through problems they are having. Judy on the other end is solving issues and that’s always the grind of it. That’s what makes Super Jock ’n Jill really strong. She does such a great job. Ty and I are allowed to do what we can to make it look like a seamless and carefree place to work and buy from. 

J: We’ve had some really fun staff parties and good trips too.

5. Do you have a favorite shoe?

J: Nike waffle trainer. I had a red one with a white stripe. I wish I had it now.

C: I would probably say because I ran so many miles with the shoe, it would be the Adidas Super Nova Classic. Funny story, on April Fool’s Day, the staff took every shoe off the shelves and replaced them with the Super Nova Classics on every shelf. And we left them there for 2 days. People bought just as many shoes because what we represent is not what’s on the wall. It’s what works for that person. And it told us what we did was important as opposed to what was on the wall. It was a great April Fool’s joke that actually verified what we were doing was good.

6. What’s your hope for SJNJ for the next 45 years?

C: Judy can give you a quick answer.

J: Personally, I would like to retire pretty soon. However, I hope the store continues for the next 45 years!

C: For me, I feel like I’m a caretaker of the brand. I’ve spent so much time building the brand up to be so much of a community. My hope is that someone else will take that idea and move it along as best as we did. And to me the longevity is how people respond to the name. I think the key thing is we always have people transitioning through. and it’s not always the same staff, but it is always the same feeling. We’ve been able to hire really excellent people and they represent the store really well. They embrace it. That is a key part of what this store represents. 

7. Anything else you’d like to share with the community?

J: I think it’s important that we want people to know that we appreciate that they’ve stuck with us for all these years. We have all these customers that we’ve known for years and years. They’re like family. It’s fun that they still come back. We just want people to know that we appreciate the longevity and people checking in with us from all over the world.

C: I always want to tell people that we are not here to be retailers. We are here to find a solution. And we are here to help them learn how to buy something that they need as opposed to try and sell them something. We want them to trust that we are here to help them. It might not be a purchase. It might just be a conversation and that’s just as important.

J: I just want to add a little known fact about Chet. At home, he’s very quiet and he hardly talks at all. And he’s also the slowest walker on earth.