![]() ![]() “We thought, we all care, and we all want to do something, but oftentimes, we don’t know how. “So we started a little GoFundMe where people could buy a cup of coffee for a health care worker for just $3,” says Thomas. Initially, Nicholas and Thomas covered the cost themselves, but it wasn’t long before others wanted to get involved. The idea was to donate cups of coffee to local hospitals and their essential workers. “So in the midst of COVID-19, Brewing for Good was born.” “We have a product that nurses, doctors, and staff members want and need to keep awake for the extremely important work they’re doing,” says Nicholas. “We thought, there’s something those frontline workers really do need, and we can provide it,” says Thomas. Given their strong community mindset, it should come as no surprise that when the coronavirus struck LA, Nicholas and Thomas wanted to help. In the midst of a pandemic, Sip & Sonder inspires good “We drink a lot of coffee,” Nicholas says, laughing. How do they do it all-run a business, practice law, and co-lead a nonprofit to lift up other Black business owners and entrepreneurs? “Provide space for you to actually take a step back and breathe.” “For us, that means providing space for you to create and get the creative juices flowing,” she says. Thomas says there’s something about a physical space and what it can do to empower a community. ![]() “To provide resources and access to things that will ultimately make us all happier and healthier.” “It’s like, what are all the ways we can serve our community?” Thomas says. It’s part of why she and Nicholas have embraced opportunities to work with organizations like Keep It Run Hundred, which focuses on wellness. “The work we do with LABIC, and really what we’re trying to do with Sip & Sonder, is to help people be their authentic selves,” says Thomas. Recently, they gave presentations on how to form a legal entity and how to protect your brand through trademarks. Nicholas and Thomas, who met at the same New York law firm, use their legal expertise to guide their workshop topics. ![]() “So we’ve done fireside chats with individuals, we’ve hosted workshops, and we’ve partnered with other community programs and organizations.” “The mission of LABIC is to connect the resources we have, and those within our network, to entrepreneurs and investors within the Black community,” says Nicholas. They’re also practicing attorneys and co-founders of the nonprofit LA Black Investors Club (LABIC). Part of what makes Thomas and Nicholas’s story unique is that they aren’t just business owners and baristas. Thomas and Nicholas pour their passion into Inglewood “This is going to remain a space that is for them, growing and responding to the needs and wants of the community.” “I think that’s what resonated with people, in terms of accepting Sip & Sonder with warm, open arms,” says Thomas. Values like Black ownership and community. And that could only happen if we were real about where we came from and our values.” We want to be in Inglewood,’” says Thomas. And it’s why she and her business partner, Amanda-Jane Thomas, decided to open their shop on the corner of Market and Queen. Nicholas says that pride and energy, so reflective of what she’d left behind in New York, drew her to the area. “Inglewood is full of creatives-of progression and movement and excitement and energy-as well as a sense of pride,” Sip & Sonder co-owner Shanita Nicholas says. Or maybe catch your breath and enjoy a honey lavender latte from the locally owned coffee shop Sip & Sonder. Take in a live show at The Miracle Theater. You can catch a game at SoFi Stadium, home to the Rams and Chargers. There’s plenty to see and experience in Inglewood, one of LA’s historically Black and brown neighborhoods. ![]()
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