South LA Cafe, a black-owned, woman-owned, and family-owned coffee shop in the heart of South Central LA, is getting ready to open a new location in Los Angeles at 8488 S. Vermont Avenue.
The company’s fifth location is set to move into a new commercial development that will sit north of the W. Manchester Avenue and Vermont Avenue intersection, according to a recent liquor license application. It’s unclear when this location will open, but it proves the community-driven organization is nowhere near slowing down. South LA Cafe (SLAC) has four locations throughout Los Angeles: 1700 Browning Boulevard, 3782 MLK Jr Boulevard, 2401 W Jefferson Boulevard, and 900 Exposition Boulevard. Customers can expect the same delicious coffee and light bites within an industrial-chic environment. The cafe also features an adjoining market.
“We’re on a mission to fight racial, social, economic, and food inequity through coffee, community, and connection,” according to the company’s website. “We are committed to creating equal access to fresh and healthy options for our South LA community that can be found in other neighborhoods, but with pricing that is affordable. We are committed to becoming a central hub in the community where everyone will know your name, and where you will feel a sense of belonging.”
The new Vermont Avenue location will allow owners Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace to continue to pursue the company’s mission to create a community-driven and focused organization providing a safe space and access to high-quality food for local Black and Brown folks. SLAC addresses racial, economic, and food inequities in South Central Los Angeles. SLAC supports Black, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, women, and formerly incarcerated individuals by offering healthy food options, cultural events, and business training. The organization aims to empower residents, promote small POC-owned businesses, and build wealth and wellness in the community.
“We grew up in the nearby area and moved just 10 blocks from the cafe almost 20 years ago, right before we were married,” the owners note on the company’s website, “We started South LA Cafe because, after decades of living in a food desert, we wanted fresh, affordable, and healthy food options for ourselves and our neighbors. Instead of waiting for it to arrive, we decided to take a leap of faith and provide it ourselves. We believed that if we built it, they would come, and we are so grateful that you did! South LA Cafe is a community space to take pride in the history, legacy, and future of South Central.”
