As the COVID-19 pandemic hit California and began to affect the way we were able to live our day to day lives, Angela Johnson had to sit down with herself and her husband to figure out a way they could save their families business.
“We were one payroll away from having to shut down, and I thought to myself, there’s no way I can tell these people I don’t have the money to pay them” said Angela as she discussed the many financial burdens her restaurant faced as the pandemic caused businesses to forcibly shut down.
The Pandemic - Mandate
In April 2020, when Los Angeles County announced an official stay-at-home order, it drastically affected the way businesses were able to operate, forcing many to either shut down completely or configure a way to stay operating minimally with what they had. Since the stay-at-home order required many inside businesses to shut down temporarily, it left many restaurants, lounges and bars with the hard decision to lay off employees, resort to take out only, and even permanently shutting down.
Black-owned businesses within predominantly Black neighborhoods are important for the community’s culture and economics. Within Inglewood alone, there are over thirty black-owned businesses ranging from lounges to coffee shops, to clothing stores and restaurants. Many have seen a boom in entrepreneurship through the community in the recent years, and growth within the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City of Inglewood has always been historically known as one of the only black enclaves in Los Angeles County. The percentage of black residents within Inglewood is around forty percent according to the world population review.
Inglewood is known for its community and culture, with certain businesses like The Serving Spoon and Simply Wholesome being a part of the community for more than thirty years. I spoke with long-term resident Malika Robinson on the culture of Inglewood and how long black-owned businesses have been apart.
With entertainment attractions such as the SoFi stadium being placed in these areas it gives black business owners an opportunity to maximize their business, grow their clientele and give back to their own community.
The Serving Spoon
The Serving Spoon was one business that hit the community the hardest when it came to the potential closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Serving Spoon, which was founded by Johnson’s father in 1983 and purchased by her in 2004 was an Inglewood staple to residents and tourists from all over.
The Serving Spoon gave people of the community an opportunity to spend time with their family and their community. There’s a message board on the wall that gives you weekly positive quotes, and pictures on the wall that would have one feeling as if they were inside of the grandmother’s living room. It’s always been a safe place to congregate and gather, while being in the heart and soul of Inglewood.
Johnson tried her best to pivot her restaurant from indoor, to outdoor and to-go only, but the overall pandemic continued to slow down business one day at a time.
“Not only does our business come from our regular customers in the community, but it also stems from tourists who are looking for good breakfast straight off the plane”. With Los Angeles being closed down, this drastically slowed down the amount of people that would travel in and out of LA.
In December of 2020, the owner Angela of the Serving Spoon, took to social media for help with saving her family owned business.Through Gofundme and a youtube video Angela expressed how she needed the community's assistance with saving her restaurant, her staff, and her overall legacy The Serving Spoon. With the Serving Spoon being such a gem within the Inglewood community, and a family-oriented space, it wasn’t long before money began pouring in to help save this community legacy. The message was heard far and wide, donations coming in from all over and even receiving a $50,000 donation from the LA Rams. In total they were able to raise over $100,000 in community donations and support.
Owner of The Serving Spoon, Angela Johnson
“That right there was incredible, we weren’t expecting that amount of help at all but we are forever grateful for it”. During the pandemic The Serving Spoon was also given the opportunity to cater for the Rams organization to assist with the flow of business while everything was still partially shut down. “We catered for them as they built the stadium, twice a month, every other Thursday”. Organizations such as the Rams and the SoFi stadium coming to a small city such as Inglewood not only will bring more business, but during the pandemic they also brought the opportunity for more collaborations like these.
The Serving Spoon, located at 1403 Centinela Ave, Inglewood, CA 90302, is now back open serving the community for dine-in, take out and delivery.
1010 Wine & Events
Post pandemic, in 2019 the SoFi stadium - now home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers - brought a new business buzz to Inglewood. New attractions bring in new businesses, and this trend has now hit Inglewood, CA. From Issa Rae’s new coffee shop ‘The Hilltop’ to Dave's Hot Chicken in Ladera Heights, we are beginning to see a new dynamic in businesses within this small city.
Another new black owned business that has come to town is 1010 Wine & Events. Two sisters, Leslie and LeAnn Jones grew up in the City of Inglewood but always felt like they had to leave their area in order to have a night with great wine, great food with their friends and go to different restaurants throughout Los Angeles. Leslie, a luxury wedding planner, and LeAnn, an attorney, were determined to bring those good vibes to their own neighborhood.
With Leslie’s background in hospitality and LeAnn’s knowledge and love of wine, the sisters decided to open 1010 Wine and Events in the heart of Inglewood, CA in 2019.
1010 Wine is the first and only wine bar in the city of Inglewood and has already stirred up a positive buzz within the community.
Vaccine Mandates
As of November 2021 the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles has set vaccine mandates for businesses that are indoors. Last year’s mandate of closing the indoor businesses left many businesses closed for good, so now the question is will the vaccine mandates lead to businesses potentially losing revenue and closing again? With a brand new business such as the 1010 wine bar, Jones is not worried at all.
“We want our community to continue to remain safe and steadfast when it comes to the pandemic, so as of now we are not worried about losing customers or revenue due to the new vaccine mandate, our business is still operating efficiently” said Jones.
