A new punk metal style and mushroom-focused apparel and fashion business has found a permanent home on Capitol Hill. After hosting a pop-up at 701 E. Pike for three months, Sporelust! decided that they are here to stay.

Chris Adams, co-owner of Sporelust!, has been making the majority of the art that is in the shop, including shirts, totes, stickers, and trucker hats. His love for mushrooms, which he describes as a moderate obsession, began six or seven years ago through foraging and photographing.

“Since then, I’ve really deep dove into mycology,” said Adams. “Over the last six years both my knowledge and my focus is on trying to hone this style that is at Sporelust! while still building knowledge that stays scientifically accurate, while looking weird.”

While Adams had created enough branded work for the pop-up shop, his business partner Zach Huntting reserved the E. Pike location for the entire year, with the goal of opening a brick and mortar location.

Now Sporelust! is an “emerging apparel brand for people interested in all things mushroom” that is “particularly pumped up” about “foraging and psychedelics.”

“Zach had his eye on that space specifically–he wanted to use that spot,” said Adams. “I was on board with it, but because we were sort of thinking of this as a ‘lets see what happens’ project.”

It is a mushroom moment on Capitol Hill. Popular in tattoos and street art, the interest in everything from nature’s beauty to improved health has helped ventures like Wunderground also burst from the earth here in Pike/Pine.

CHS reported here on Wunderground’s 2021 debut as Jody Hall shifted her focus from cupcakes to the new coffee company and its fusion of the “health benefits” from mushrooms like Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Reishi, and Cordyceps with the daily ritual and the “antioxidant properties” of coffee plus plans for the new flagship cafe and headquarters on E Pike.

Over the summer, Sporelust! opened to the public a few blocks west, starting its growth on Capitol Hill.

“Community wise, it seemed like a great fit, and people were excited about it and the numbers were enough,” said Adams.

The shop takes over the space left behind by Standard Goods after the fashion retailer moved into a larger location in spring of 2021.

The grungy yet mycologically accurate portrayals of mushrooms are paired with humorous phrases, such as “Born to Rot,” and “Eat mushrooms, don’t kill people!.”

As a longtime artist, Adams has found a muse and a mission in the midst of the capitalism.

“My main goals are that it maintains these ethical and educational missions,” said Adams. “With every new product we bring in, we’re trying to find the best possible company to support.”

A portion of Sporelust!’s proceeds will go towards three organizations focused on fungal biodiversity: the Telluride Institute which holds the largest mushroom festival in the United States, Fungi Foundation, and FunDiS.

Sustainability and ethically sourced materials are another focus of the business, although supply chain issues have created some difficulties. Adams said the company is aiming for products made in the USA that are 100% organic cotton, but currently their items are mostly organic. His goal is to have every product be 100% organic by the first or second quarter of 2023.

While Sporelust! is preparing to showcase products at events such as the Desert Daze Festival in Los Angeles this month, they also have plans to bring events to the location in Capitol Hill.

“We are supportive of natural psychedelic medicines,” said Adams. “We’re trying to find ways to bring in speakers to talk about decriminalization movements and decolonization of natural medicines.”

Adams plans on bringing guest speakers into the space by October, with the goal of featuring one speaker per month. He hopes Sporelust! can create a platform for education on forest ethics, taxonomy, mycology, and psilocybin decriminalization, among other topics.

“We want to make it a place that feels safe and open to people who are excited about the woods, or mushrooms, or psychedelics, and share ideas and build a regional community on that,” said Adams.

With the boom in mushroom interest that has taken place across the country in recent years, Adams finds importance in educating the community on ways to protect wild habitats–beyond mushroom specifics. So far, the business fit right in on Capitol Hill.

“The neighborhood, both the touristy humans and the people we have met so far also seem super excited about it,” said Adams. “Hopefully everybody feels like it’s interesting and a safe space and amusing, and eventually educational and feels like a cool community node.”

Sporelust! is located at 701 E Pike. Learn more at sporelust.com.

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