Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to attend the “Grand Opening” of South L.A. Cafe located in the heart of South Los Angeles at 3991 S. Western Ave.
The café is owned and operated by Celia & Joe Ward-Wallace who both grew up in this community with a desire to reinvest.
They are committed to "bringing to our South LA community the same quality food and drinks found in other neighborhoods, but with pricing that is affordable."
A goal that they have definitely achieved.
The energy & excitement in the space was so positive & invigorating.
Seeing this hard-working and dedicated family working together to achieve their goals is especially inspirational for our team.
The café itself is very modern, cool, and welcoming.
Everyone that works in the cafe (shout out to Lanisha & Edara) greeted us with a warm & friendly smile.
The coffee comes freshly roasted from "Red Bay Coffee Roasters," and was absolutely delicious.
This wasn't our first time meeting Celia and Joe, nor was it our first time visiting the café. We have each made intentional strides to develop relationships with our peers across the coffee industry and those actions have brought us together.
Celia came and supported one of our very first pop-up events in the Los Angeles area at the "Metaphor Club" located at 4333 Crenshaw Blvd, in the heart of Leimert Park.
From our first meeting and throughout each subsequent conversation, it has become abundantly clear that we each share a love for coffee & community that runs deeps.
Celebrating and supporting Celia & Joe's work with South L.A. Cafe and within the South Los Angeles community has now become a strategic goal for the Black Coffee Company.
It is evident that the platforms they are building will become essential to the future success of our Black & Minority communities in L.A.
We are certain many can already envision "South L.A. Cafe" becoming a central hub for cultural appreciation along with economic & community empowerment.
Just look at how beautifully designed the the space is, perfect for folks to enjoy a coffee, tea, or pastries, along with enough room for community based meetings, book clubs, or business planning sessions.
The "Nipsey Hussle" portrait in the reading room is by far my favorite aspect of the cafe. Just standing next to this work art, motivated me to reach higher & grind harder at achieving our own goals.
I noticed that same look of excitement and encouragement on the faces of all the attendees who passed by and instantly became enveloped by the portrait. Watching others become inspired brought such a smile to my face. This truly is a space where folks who look like us, listen to music like us, and dream about empowering our community like us, can come together and succeed.
Oh almost forgot to mention the best part of our experience. In addition to South L.A. Cafe, Celia & Joe also own & operate "South L.A. Market" right next door. It is a boutique space designed to combat the epidemic of food desserts affecting our communities. Here you could shop for your own groceries, or like us, for only $10.00 you can purchase a grocery bag full of items that will be donated to family in need.
We encourage everyone to not only shop at South L.A. Market, but to also consider purchasing a monthly subscription to health combat the food insecurities plaguing our youth and preventing families from living up their maximum potential.
Truly thankful my daughter and I had the opportunity to attend this awesome event and connect with a wonderful team of entrepreneurs.
We are going to keep on coming back!!