Skip to main content

When a Starbucks closes in L.A., does anyone notice? This community does



#Community #LaderaHeights #MagicJohnson #Starbucks



LOS ANGELES – You might not think the closing of one Starbucks with two others literally only hundreds of feet away would make much of a difference. But in the predominantly black, high-income Ladera Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, this Starbucks leaving is about more than having to get coffee somewhere else.

“It hurts us because we’ve been patronizing them for 20 years,“ said Silas Braxton, 68, who works at the nearby restaurant The Serving Spoon and is part of a group of regulars who play dominoes at the Ladera Starbucks every day. “It’s like they’re plucking the heart out of our community.”

This location is serving its last latte on Sunday. Since the Ladera Heights Starbucks opened in partnership with Magic Johnson in 1998, it has been a hub of activity.



Grounded in community

Most days, you'd find much the same scene among the tables dotted with cups of java and laptops: In the mornings, an overflowing table of elder gentlemen by the window energetically debating the hot topics of the day with, perhaps, an intimate round of two-person Uno across the way, and in the afternoons, friendly trash-talkers slapping the timers in heated games of speed chess lined up at the long table, and the sound of “bones” or dominoes hitting the tables on the patio amid the laughs and jibes passed around the circle of players.

King Anthony, 57, another regular who can usually be found holding court immersed in a game of speed chess, began frequenting this location while living in neighboring Inglewood 15 years ago but now drives an hour from the South Bay region of Los Angeles County every day. He isn’t ready to believe the place is really closing. “They haven’t posted any signs. They haven't said thank you to the community. Why not explain what’s happening and tell us you appreciate us? Because it IS our business,” Anthony said.

Computer engineer Raymond Lester, 64 calls the loss “devastating,” adding, “there aren’t many spaces for black men and women to come together and to network.”

Chiropractor Monique Anthony, 51, knows this all too well. She's been coming to this location since the day it opened and said she's benefited immensely from the connections she’s made over the years.

“Coming here has been great for my business. I meet patients here because people are always referring them to me. There’s a camaraderie here – it’s not just a community, it’s a family. When one of us is sick, we send flowers and cards.”

This Starbucks, originally opened by Urban Coffee Opportunities, a 50-50 partnership between Starbucks Coffee Company and Magic Johnson’s Johnson Development Corporation, landed in the Ladera Center shopping plaza when the neighborhood was a virtual coffee dessert. Twelve years later, in 2010, Johnson sold his 50 percent stake of Urban Coffee Opportunities to Starbucks, making the coffee giant the sole owner of the more than 100 stores UCO had opened in mostly underserved communities.











Today, it's a coffee desert no more. There is a Starbucks location inside of the Ralph’s grocery store in the same plaza and a drive-thru location across the street, although regulars here are quick to point out that neither of those locations are conducive to socializing. Starbucks spokesperson Reggie Borges told USA TODAY with three locations in such close proximity, the company feels they could better serve more of the community by moving this store.
“We know that store is a special place where connections are made. We are actively looking for a new location to put a store up in that same Ladera neighborhood to replace it,” Borges said. In the meantime, the closing of this location may present an opportunity for several new independent coffee shops in the area to percolate as the new center of the community.

The local coffee landscape 

“I often ask myself, ‘where did people go before coffee shops?,’ ” said Anthony Jolly, 44,  Owner of Hot and Cool Cafe, which opened earlier this year in nearby Leimert Park. “As this community changes,” Jolly said, referring to the shifting demographics in South L.A., which is seeing an influx of young professionals of all races. “I wanted to come in and create a space where people of color can come in and collaborate.”





















Sip & Sonder, already a burgeoning event space in nearby Inglewood, will open its full cafe before the end of the year. Co-owner Amanda-Jane Thomas emphasizes the importance of spaces that feel welcoming.

“Coffee shops are often signs of gentrification or that an area is changing. Growing up, when I saw a coffee shop opening up in a community, they weren't always spaced that I, or other people I know, would feel comfortable in," she said. "With Sip & Sonder, our philosophy is all about creating a space for the community.”

For the Ladera Starbucks crowd hoping to congregate to a new coffee shop, it will be a matter of what feels right. Fred Jackson, a 58-year-old retiree who has been a fixture at the Starbucks since moving to the neighborhood from Orange County 12 years ago said, “ We plan to stay together. We’re going to vet other coffee shops. We’re going to see who accepts us.”




By Sabrina Ford, USA TODAY -Oct. 19, 2018

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

12 Reasons Why Couples Break Up

#Couplestherapy #Arguments #Finances #DomesticViolence #BlackMaleTherapist #Triple5LightTherapy #AfricanAmericantherapist Whether it’s a relatively new relationship or a long-time  marriage , breaking up is hard.  Research  published in the  Journal of Family Psychology  shows that breakups increase psychological distress and reduce life satisfaction. Often, the negative effects of a breakup can impact one’s mental health for months, even years, after the dissolution. After a relationship goes south, it’s important to take stock of what went wrong. This can be done by yourself or with the help of a therapist and it can prevent you from entering a similarly vulnerable situation in the future. It’s also important to orient yourself to the common things that lead to breakups. This can help normalize your own situation and perhaps steer you down a better path in the future. Remember, breaking up is a part of life: approximately half of first-time marriages end in di...

The Enduring Beauty Of Selena's Legacy

#Selena #Tejano #SelenaQuintanillaPerez  By Ashley Monae Oct 10, 2017 rez. On March 31, 1995, the world was shaken by the untimely death of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez. At just 23 years old, her career was skyrocketing toward crossover success. But just as she was settling into her fame, it was taken away in the blink of an eye when she was shot and tragically killed by a former fan club president. No one foresaw the harrowing ordeal, and the news arrived without warning. As a result, Selena, who was poised for pop culture phenomenon status, would unfortunately never witness her efforts and hard work fully materialize. Selena's legacy continues to shine two decades following her passing from her music to makeup lines and museums. Her star took flight in earnest one night in 1989 when Selena performed at the San Antonio Convention Center. The occasion was the ninth annual Tejano Music Awards. Her irresistible charm lit up the stage as she sang the likes of ...

The Psychology of Hoarding Toilet Paper, Beans & Soup

  #Hoarding #PanicBuying #COVID-19 #Anxiety #Emotions #Therapy #Triple5LightTherapy.com By   John M. Grohol, Psy.D. There’s a very good article by Bella DePaulo, Ph.D.  Why Are People Hoarding Toilet Paper?  that dives into the psychology of this behavior. It’s a good question because what we’re seeing are American consumers acting in a seemingly irrational manner in reaction to the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Panic  buying  is what people do when faced with an imminent disaster, whether it be natural — such as a hurricane or snowstorm — or something else, like the spread of a virus for which there is no effective treatment or vaccine. And while it seems irrational on the surface, it actually has a rational basis. I think one of the reasons panic buying seems to make less sense to some during  this  pandemic is the fact that it’s likely to not just last a few days or weeks, but months to come. There’s little chance most people can s...

‘Homecoming’ Documentary Comes With a Surprise: A Beyoncé Live Album

Beyoncé announced a Netflix documentary called “Homecoming” about her 2018 Coachella performance. But she had another surprise in store.Credit Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella #Beyoncé #Homecoming #Documentary #Netflix #LiveAlbum  When it comes to Beyoncé releases, there is usually an element of surprise. The singer — who perfected the secret album drop in 2013, and has since toyed with the tactic for releases like “Lemonade” and “Everything Is Love,” with her husband Jay-Z — did it again in the early morning hours Wednesday, one-upping the arrival of her own Netflix documentary, “Homecoming,” with a previously unannounced live-album version of the same concert. [Read our review of the Beyoncé documentary “Homecoming.”] Both the film and the album, also titled “Homecoming,” capture Beyoncé’s performance at last year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, in which the singer — the first black woman to headline the event — was backed by dozens of dancers and an ...