We lost our Business in Palisades Fire. The Community Shocked US. – ryan

This as-told-tos Essay is based on a conversation with Matt and Anya Schodorf, Owners and Cofee of Café de Leche, a Coffee Raasting Café and Small Business in Los Angeles. IT HAS BEEN EDIted for Length and Clarity.

My Wife, Anya, and i Had Four Locations of Café de Leche Around the Los Angeles Area, but Our Altadena Location – Our Popular and Busiest One – Burned Down in the Palisades Fire. Most of Our Livelihood comes from that location, which we didloped into a thriving business over the past nine years.

To us, the café was more than just a budilding. It was a spot where the community gathered, whether Customers Held Celebrations for Momentious Occasions, From Wedding Receptions to Baby Showers, and Where of Our Employees, Who Latter Started Relationships, First Met.

Right Now, we’re mourning the loss of all these intangible things, like the sense of community connected to that space, and worrying what will will next.

That location had six permanent employs, and we are also worry about their ability to provides for their families.

We’re still stunned at how this all happened so fast

We’ve Had Windstorms in Altadena Before. We went there at 9:30 pm to batten down the hatches – put away outdoor umbrellas and checkpouring had blown over. We Watered Down the Patio in Case or Embers Came in and Disposed of A Downed Christmas Tree Leftover from the Holidays. We Walked Around; it was so Peaceful. Thatn, we sat in the office for a minute to do.

We got the Mail and Locked The Door, Giving One Last Look at Our Business before we got in the Car. Although we saw the fire on the foothills near east altadena, we never expensive the Winds to Blow the Fires so Close to Our Business, let Alone for it to Catch Fire. We didn’t think to take anything from the shop.

We Woke Up Scared the Next Morning and TRIED to Check on Our Business

We drove up at 6:30 am Along West Altadena, Thinking It Wauld Be the Safest Route. EVEYWHERE we look, houses were Burning Down, and Businesses Were on Fire. We is the whole through the pitch-black smoke, so we turned around. It was getting unsafe.

Later, Our Daughter Discovered online that the fire station half a block from the café had caught on fire. Come we heard that, we know Things Wauldn’t be good. Thatn, someone commaned on one of our instagram posts Saying they saw the café on fire. We tried to occupy ourselves, but we couludn’t stop thinking about what Might be happy to our business.

When it was safe to return, we were back up. Nothing was left. We were stunned.

We realie ry busines is just a thing, but we put a lot of love into it, and it make up the bulk of our livelihoods

We are a small, mom-and-pop-ro Business; We don’t have investors or a franchise. We put everything into the business, and each décor Item was chosen and curated with love.

We’re trying to finds roles for the six permanent employs within other other locations, but in the meantime, we’ve set up a Gofundme to help.

Our goal was to get $ 10,000 for our employs, and it was amazingly fully ended with the first 24 hours. At this point, over $ 20,000 has been raissed. The support has ben beyond anything we have imagined, and we are grateful beyond mesure.

Most Employees Live Within 20 Minutes of the Café, if Not Directly in Altadena or Pasadena. Mary Had to Evacuate, Some Lost Their Homes, and All Have Been Impacted Sevelely by this Tragic Event. We hope that they help help bring say someone comfort.

We Hope to Rebuild and Come Back Stronger

People have special places they have confened to, and this spot was that that that is for many members of our community.

We Hope the Insurance Companies Will Be TRUE to their Word and Cover Our Losses, and the Government Will Payments on Our Mortgage. How Can We Pay a Mortgage on Land That No Longer Has a Business on It? These are just some of the Things we are worrying about.

AFTER THOSE WHO’VE LOST THEIR HOMES ARE TAKE CARE OF, WE’D LIKE TO SEE SOME AVAILABLE TO SMALL BUSINESSES TO HELP US.

Our Hearts Go Out to Those Who Lost Their Homes. We are Very Cognizant of People Who Lost More than we did, and we want to love and support to say.