ElaBrew Soft Opening
Joy Park along with her team open a second brick and mortar store in the Sante Fe Lofts in Downtown L.A. today. She chats with me about the journey of having a third place to represent coffee, community and culture in the heart of the city.
smdlr: Congratulations Joy. How does all this feel, space no.3?
Joy: It’s been a really rewarding experience. I’ve been doing it with a small dedicated team and with good communication. We’ve made sure we’re getting everything the way we wanted it and doing it from the ground up has been the epitome of teamwork. Its like playing legos.
smdlr: What do you hope people receive from the downtown space?
Joy: When you enter it, it’s a different feel from Santa Monica or even the truck. We’re creating a live version of the magician tarot card in the space and the furniture. We want you to feel like you’re in another world.
smdlr: Can you share more about what that means, “another world”?
Joy: Coffee used to be a neighborhood, a second home, where you can escape and be free. A lot of that art is expressive and that you normally don’t see in coffee shops. Joerael has been painting murals, bringing in the furniture and its light scheme – we’re going away from the great clean minimalistic look and aiming for more soulful elements.
Joy informs that the soft opening is a starting point and week to week the finishing touches to the space will be evident. Of course, in addition to the creative design, we also talk coffee.
smdlr: I’m so curious, what are you doing with coffee at this space?
Joy: We’re doing the same multi-roaster platform as our Santa Monica space: Ceremony, Ritual Coffee Roasters and Kuma Coffee. For this downtown location, we’re bringing in Spyhouse Coffee.
smdlr: I’ve heard great things about them, I love this!
Joy: Yes, they’ve been in the game for 15 years and their coffee is amazing. Even though they are older, they are willing to reinvent themselves and that’s why I respect them. I’m so happy to bring them to the market here.
smdlr: I can hear the excitement in your voice. I love how you love what you do.
Joy: It’s been a fun ride tasting really great coffees. It’s a blessing that so many people out there that care about good coffee and that we get share it. We’re always trying to keep our eyes open. We’re students of the game, The more we share it the more we can all get better.
The store soft opens tonight from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. with music, food and of course, coffee!