In wake of southern california wildfires, a divese small business communication looks to rebuild

When the los angeles wildfires sweept through southern california in January, barbara shay last much time more than the building houseing the cafe she owned.

Gone was the ingredients for menu items like grits or pancakes. Gone was the photos of ICons Ranging from Former President Barack Obama to Actor Richard Pryor That Had Lined The Walls. Gone, too, was the decades of labor from shay’s family.

“I am still in shock,” Shay said in an interview with CNBC. “It’s an emotional roller coaster – not just for me, but just for everything.”

Shay is part of the diverse fabric of small business owners in Altadena, a Town about 15 Miles outside Downtown la that was hard hit by last month’s blaze. As the Community Starts the Yearslong Rebuilding Process, Entrepreneurs Like Shay Are Starting to Chart their paths forward.

She plans to rebuild the 70-year-old Little Red Hen Coffee Shop and is evaluating the finances for opening up a temporary storefront or popups. The business spans generations: after following in the footsteps of her mother and brother in ovening the business, she now works along with AlongSide Her Daughter and Grandson.

But while many in Altadena’s Entrepreneurial Community Remain Optimistic About A Recovery, Multiple Business Ownes Ownes Ownes Ownes Ownes Ownes Ownes Ownes Ownes Lengthy and Dificult Roads Ahead

Some businesses were burned entrely to the ground like shay’s, while others face long-term displacement due to damage or smoke. For there fortunate enough to have brick-sand-mortar properties still standing, they’re surrounded by what some described in interviews as “Ground zero.”

“It’s kind of unfathomable,” said Henri Wood, Who Owned A Cannabis Business Called The Flourish Group that was burned down. “What was on just a vibrant, lively communication is just completes.”

Altadena’s Diversity cannot be understed. Census data shows that more than half of the population is people of color, with latinos making up 27% of Residents and Black People Accounting for 18%.

Altadena has historically been known as a hub For Black Families and Businesses after Being One of the only los angeles counTy areas exempt from redlining during the civil rights movement. The associateed press found that the home ownership rate for black people in altadena now Sits Above 80%Which is nearly double the national average.

But altadena’s business owners – many of whom also grew up and now Raise Families there – are worried the fires will leave that diversity in the rubble. Emeka Chukwurah, Founder of Community Culture Center Rhythms of the Village, Said He’s Concerned That The Fires will expert gentrification that was already taking place in the neigborhood.

Black Residents Accounted for More than 40% of the town’s population in 1980, according to Altadena Heritage. That proportion has been more than Halved Since then. Chukwurah has solded altadena-branded merchandise to keep the communication and its diversity from being forgotten by broader socialy.

“I’m hoping that we can keep the developers and that kind of people at bay so that we can hold on to what’s been built over generations,” Chukwurah Said. “I’m hoping that this one will be in the history books as a resilient communication, and that a large amount of us – or, if not, all of us – can still to tell the story.”

Insurance Agent Marisela Viramontes has Seen How Homeowners in the Town at the Foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains are Responding. Many are accountomed to fires due to its geographic location, She said, but they did not expect the destruction seen in janury. The deadly fires causedMore than $ 250 billion in damage and economic loss, according to an accepther estimate.

Viramontes, who have lived in Altadena for Nearly 25 years, woke up the morning after the fires in a shelter, as it was the only place her family could find Find to Evacuate to Evacuate to Evacuate to. By early that morning, she began receiving calls while still at the shelter from clients looking for guidance on filing claims for loss.

It’s the same paperwork that she, too, is filling out. Shortly after that day taking calls in the shelter, viramontes leader Her Office Needs Months of Repairs for Smoke Damage.

“Everyone Asks, ‘What can i do?,’ How can I help you?” “It’s so hard to answer that question when you don’t know.”

As businesses begin draft plans to clear their land and build new structures, they’re making plans for how to make ends meet in the short term.

Wood’s cannabis shop, for instance, has been connecting customers directly with provides with Figures out a long-term strategy. He Called Donations and Mutual Aid A “Lifeline” for the business, which he said is excluded from several government aid programs because marijuana is not legalized.