Looking for parental advice

I have a problem that I have never had to deal with before that I really am at my wit's end. Joey is a climber. A really, really sneaky quiet climber. And he's really fast. He has been climbing up and down off the couch for the past couple of weeks, which I'm fine with as we have taught him how to get down safely (he slides down on his belly). Well, it has now progressed to kitchen chairs. Yep, the freakin' chairs! I walked out to the kitchen the other day and he was sitting on a chair, taking stuff from the table! When I went out this morning he was STANDING on the chair backwards trying to reach stuff on the stove. He moves the chairs out and then climbs on it. How the hell do I break him of this??? I'm now watching him every second again. I was able to give him a little bit of freedom in the kitchen because he likes to play with his trucks in there (it's vinyl floor and the livingroom is carpet). But now I can't trust him in the kitchen at all. Just this morning I caught him with one foot up trying to climb on the coffee table! Colby was never a climber so this is a whole new world for me. Short of bungee cording the chairs to the table (which I have considered), does anyone have any suggestions?

As of Monday morning, our Northern Store will have the youngest employee. I'm going to try taking Joey to work with me in the mornings. I have a playpen and I'm going to set it up in the back where I am and see if he'll stay. For the times I need to bring stuff to the floor, I can just strap him in the cart. And, there's enough people around (Rob, David and Connie) that if there is something that comes up that I need to leave him for a few minutes, I'm sure someone will take him!