By Cynthia Gibson
Contributing Writer
LEIMERT PARK — When entrepreneur Anthony “Tony” Jolly opened Hot and Cool Café in Leimert Park in 2018, his intention for the coffee shop was to be a haven for networking, a place where the community could come together and collaborate.
Six years later, Jolly’s vision continues to expand. The former Hot and Cool Café is now ORA and has become a blueprint for business revitalization in Leimert Park.
The transformation of Hot and Cool into ORA required innovation, real estate development expertise, collaboration and financing. Jolly is co-chair of the nonprofit Black Owned and Operated Community Land Trust, which is using a similar strategy to redevelop other businesses in Leimert Park Village and stave off gentrification.
According to Jolly, to remain relevant and keep up with changing consumer expectations, business owners have to be open and flexible with their business model.
“We have to open up our ears to professionals that can come in and help you create a model that makes sense,” Jolly said. “This will allow you to generate income and be significant here and in the future.”
In reimaging his business concept, Jolly transitioned from offering coffee and soup to a plant-based menu to its current menu which includes wraps, soups, salads and smoothies. The architecture has also morphed from a colorful and eclectic coffeehouse with brightly painted floors to a sleek contemporary industrial space with natural floors, comfy seating areas and individual workspaces.
“The change was made to better align with evolving consumer preferences and dietary trends,” Jolly said.
ORA was the first renovation of the Black Owned and Operated Community Land Trust, a nonprofit, community-based initiative to stabilize neighborhoods in Black and underserved communities. In 2023, using a combination of loans and grants, the organizaton amassed $6.5 million to purchase land on Degnan Boulevard and the approximately 20,000-square-foot building — comprising seven individual businesses — there.
The Black Owned and Operated Community Land Trust was founded by Akil West, owner of Sole Folks, a sneaker store and marketplace for Black designers.
The 17 members of the land trust are comprised of Leimert Park merchants and stakeholders, community leaders and business professionals. Jolly said collaboration and agreement among the members is painstaking, but necessary. It took a year and a half to decide on the building’s architect, Good Project Company.
Currently in the design phase, Good Project Company is working with individual merchants on design concepts, which will ultimately be incorporated into the overall building design.
Real estate developer Prophet Walker is co-chair of the Black Owned and Operated Community Land Trust. As co-founder and CEO of Treehouse, a co-living space with locations in Koreatown and Hollywood, Walker knows about collaboration and building consensus.
Walker thinks of each renovated business in Leimert Park Village as a type of album release. The first album release was ORA. The second album release was The Plant Chica, an expansive outdoor greenhouse, which opened in early October.
“We have quite a few more albums coming up before the end of the year,” Walker said. “It’s a big vision and we’re kind of excited about it.”
As design plans are completed, US Bank will play a major role in creating action plans to get the capital needed to complete the project. During the design phase, US Bank has been working with businesses to provide financial literacy education.
US Bank Business Access Advisor Delphine Pruitt has had a banking relationship with many businesses in Leimert Park and along Crenshaw Boulevard, including ORA, gourmet ice cream purveyor All Chill and Destination Crenshaw.
“We provide access to information, connections, and capital,” Pruitt said. “That capital might be with US Bank or outside the bank. Our whole model is about fostering collaboration with community partners to support minority businesses.”
If businesses do not immediately qualify for a traditional bank loan, Pruitt can connect them with US Bank’s partners, nonprofit community development financial institutions which have different underwriting standards.
“Understanding how I could establish a relationship with the bank for growth was kind of pivotal for me,” Jolly said. “If you don’t know how to properly bank, you think a traditional loan is the only offering, but being able to sit down with the banker, you see all the different products where you can fit.”
Walker said that through the Black Owned and Operated Community Land Trust, the collaborations, the design process and the banking partnerships can be a model for different historical businesses that may fear being pushed out of their community.
“What began with the acquisition of a single building in Leimert Park to preserve the heritage has not only proved successful in returning power to the local business owners,” Walker said. “It has also laid the groundwork for a more extensive effort to uplift, empower other communities to follow this model throughout Los Angeles.”
Cynthia Gibson is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers. She can be reached at ckgcommunications@gmail.com.
