Legacy Business Grant Program

Provides financial assistance to small, longtime businesses in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles Conservancy expanded its Legacy Business Initiative with a grant program available to longtime small businesses within Los Angeles County.

Through our Legacy Business Grant Program, the Conservancy awarded ten $5,000 grants to ten eligible small businesses that have operated and contributed to their community’s history and/or identity for at least 20 years. This grant program was made possible thanks to funding from Wells Fargo.

Join us on October 11th for “Keeping Legacy Businesses: Stories from L.A.” a virtual program celebrating our grantees! Learn more about the first year of our grant program and hear from grant recipient Leonardo Romero of El Paraiso, retailer and manufacturer of ice cream novelties. The program will include a live demonstration with Leonardo! Learn more →

ROUND 1 GRANTEES

88 Gifts

311 Ord Street Los Angeles, CA 90031

For over 30 years, the original location of 88 Gifts Shop was in BC Plaza on Broadway. In 2020, owner Annie Ma was forced to relocate her business to its present location. Ma sells housewares, plants, and a variety of Lunar New Year gifts to neighborhood residents and tourists. 88 Gifts also sells Chinese-language newspapers, keeping local elders in touch with news events both here and abroad.
El Aguila Bakery

5028 Huntington Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90032

El Aguila Bakery was established by Apolinar Casillas in 1973 and has been a beloved fixture in L.A.’s El Sereno community ever since. With a loyal, multi-generational clientele, El Aguila prides itself on its authentic Mexican sweet breads, cakes, tamales, and so much more! The bakery also supports the community by giving back to local institutions such as the city, schools, and places of worship.
Candelas Guitars

2724 E Cesar Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Founded in 1947 by brothers Porfirio and Candelario Delgado-Flores, Candelas specializes in custom guitar making. Third-generation owner Tomas Delgado—along with his son Tomas Jr.—have proudly continued the Candelas legacy of fine craftsmanship. The store’s clientele includes famous artists like José Feliciano but it’s also a source of community pride, giving back to Boyle Heights in many ways including the creation of a 501c (3) nonprofit that provides free music lessons to local youth.
Gardena Cinema

14948 Crenshaw Boulevard, Gardena, CA 90249

Gardena Cinema is a single-screen movie cinema built in 1946 and operated by the Kim family since 1976. It’s the only such theatre in Gardena. It has provided affordable entertainment options for over four generations. It’s a place where families can enjoy a film together and have meaningful experiences: in addition to their unique film slate, Gardena Cinema also hosts cinema potlucks, popcorn happy hours, and more.
Sika

4330 Degnan Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Sika, an institution of Leimert Park Village, has been specializing in custom jewelry, African art, clothing, and other goods for 30 years. Sika, the store’s owner, weathered a downturn in the economy in the 2000s. His resilience has commanded the love and respect of the community and today, despite concerns about gentrification, Sika remains at the heart of the neighborhood as a cultural gathering place.

ROUND 2 GRANTEES

Avalon Nursery & Ceramics

5334 Avalon Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90011

Owner Maria Luz Lopez founded this nursery in 1983 when the corner was just a vacant lot. Today, it’s the longest-standing nursery in South L.A. Stepping inside the lush, meandering maze of greenery, it is difficult to imagine that the bustling corner of Avalon Boulevard and 54th Street is right outside!

Read More
Hop Woo BBQ & Seafood Restaurant

845 North Broadway, Los Angeles, 90012

Hop Woo BBQ & Seafood Restaurant is a popular mainstay, thanks to the late Chef Lupe Liang, who was the restaurant’s beloved founder. Chef Liang was a culinary crusader who embraced L.A.’s multicultural layers. (Hop Woo’s menu is offered in English, Spanish, and Chinese.) Liang’s wife Judy, daughters, and its loyal customers have rallied to help keep this family-operated restaurant going amid the pandemic, rising utility costs, and more.

Read More
Kouraku

314 East 2nd Street, Los Angeles, 90012

Little Tokyo’s Kouraku is known as the oldest operating Japanese ramen noodle restaurant in the country. Founded in 1976, Kouraku was taken over by the late Hiroshi Yamauchi in 1986, who brought popular post-World War II Japanese comfort food to the community. Though new owner Mamoru Tokuda is now at the restaurant’s helm, Kouraku’s culinary traditions remain and this longstanding restaurant still feels like home.

Read More
Lenchita's Restaurant

13612 Van Nuys Boulevard, Pacoima, 91331

Lenchita’s Tortillería and Restaurant in Pacoima has been serving up traditional dishes and homemade tortillas since 1977. A San Fernando Valley institution, it’s been said that there hasn’t been a kid from Pacoima who didn’t grow up with a Lenchita’s quesadilla in one hand and a pineapple drink in the other.

Read More
El Paraiso

1760 East Florence Avenue, Los Angeles, 90001

Paletas are a delicious Mexican frozen treat made from natural fruit, and Florence-Firestone’s El Paraiso has been serving them since 1979. Family-owned and operated, it is part of the neighborhood’s fabric and offers a warm feeling of nostalgia for its customers, many of whom have been coming here for decades.

Read More

Grant Program Information

The Legacy Business Grant program is available to longtime small businesses within Los Angeles County. See below for additional details about eligibility.

Business must be operating and located within the boundaries of the County of Los Angeles
Business has operated and contributed to its community’s history and/or identity for 20 or more years
Business is not franchised or affiliated with a national, corporate chain
For-profit business
Less than 25 full-time employees.

Who is eligible to apply for the grant?

The Legacy Business Grant program is available to longtime small businesses within Los Angeles County. See below for additional details about eligibility.

Business must be operating and located within the boundaries of the County of Los Angeles
Business has operated and contributed to its community’s history and/or identity for 20 or more years
Business is not franchised or affiliated with a national, corporate chain
For-profit business
Less than 25 full-time employees.

When can applicants apply?
We are not currently accepting applications. Please check back in 2024.

How are grant recipients selected?

Completed applications meeting eligibility requirements will be reviewed and evaluated by the Conservancy’s selection committee. To help advance equity in our communities, applicants whose businesses are in Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs) and census tracts that are disproportionately burdened by, and vulnerable to environmental, health, and socioeconomic factors will be weighted more heavily in the selection process. QCTs are a designation used by the U.S. Treasury and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to define underserved and disproportionately impacted communities. QCTS are census areas where at least half of households have lower income than most of the surrounding region. More details about QCTs can be found on the U.S. HUD website. CalEnviroScreen uses environmental, health, and socioeconomic information to produce scores for every census tract in the state.

How can grants be used?

You can use the grant funds to serve your customers better and grow your business. Examples of eligible use of funds include:

Employee payroll
Employee retention bonuses
Rent, utilities, and insurance
Payment of outstanding business expenses
Adaptive business practices needed to operate the business
Business equipment
Building improvements

Grant funds may not be used for work completed before the receipt of the grant.

Do grants have to be paid back?

No. This is not a loan.

Is this program affiliated with the City of Los Angeles’s Legacy Business Program?

No, this is a separate grant program offered to legacy businesses by the Los Angeles Conservancy.

Will there be any media coverage about the legacy businesses selected?

Yes, the Los Angeles Conservancy will feature selected legacy businesses in grant announcements, promotional materials, and possible media features. Additionally, grant recipients will receive a promotion toolkit with information and assets to promote their grant and business.

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Acerca de este programa

Los Angeles Conservancy se complace en anunciar un nuevo programa de subvenciones disponible para pequeños negocios legados que su ubican dentro del condado de Los Angeles. La Subvención de Negocios Legados de Los Angeles Conservancy otorgará diez subvenciones de $5,000 a pequeños negocios elegibles que hayan operado y contribuido a la historia y/o identidad de su comunidad durante al menos 20 años. Este programa de subvenciones fue posible gracias a la financiación de Wells Fargo.

Negocio debe estar operando y ubicado dentro de los límites del Condado de Los Angeles. Lea más abajo.

Negocio ha operado y contribuido a la historia y/o identidad de su comunidad durante 20 años o más
Negocio no tiene franquicia ni está afiliada a una cadena corporativa nacional
Negocio con fines de lucro
Menos de 25 empleados a tiempo completo

¿Cuándo puedo aplicar?.
Actualmente no estamos aceptando solicitudes. Vuelva a consultar en 2024.

¿Cómo se seleccionarán los premiados de las subvenciones?
Las solicitudes completas que cumplan con los requisitos de elegibilidad serán revisadas y evaluadas por un comité de selección de Los Angeles Conservancy. Para ayudar a promover la equidad en nuestras comunidades, los solicitantes cuyos negocios se encuentren en Zonas censales calificadas (QCT) y distritos censales que están desproporcionadamente cargados y son vulnerables a múltiples factores socioeconómicos, de salud y de contaminación tendrán una mayor ponderación en el proceso de selección. Las QCT son una designación utilizada por el Tesoro de EE. UU. y el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano (HUD) de EE. UU. para definir comunidades desatendidas y desproporcionadamente afectadas. Las QCTS son áreas censales donde al menos la mitad de los hogares tienen ingresos más bajos que la mayoría de la región circundante. Se pueden encontrar más detalles sobre las QCT en el sitio web de HUD de EE. UU. CalEnviroScreen usa información ambiental, de salud y socioeconómica para producir puntajes para cada tramo censal en el estado.

¿Cómo se pueden utilizar las subvenciones?
Puede utilizar los fondos de la subvención para servir mejor a sus clientes y hacer crecer su negocio. Ejemplos de uso elegible de fondos incluyen:

Nómina de sueldo do empleados
Bonos de retención de empleados
Alquiler, servicios públicos y seguro
Pago de gastos comerciales pendientes
Prácticas comerciales adaptativas necesarias para operar el negocio
Equipo comercial
Mejoras de edificios

Los fondos de la subvención no se pueden utilizar para trabajos completados antes de recibir la subvención.

¿Tengo que devolver este fondo recibido?
No. Esto no es un préstamo.

¿Este programa está afiliado al Programa Legacy Business de la Ciudad de Los Angeles?
No, este es un programa de subvenciones separado que ofrece Los Angeles Conservancy a negocios legados.

¿Habrá alguna cobertura mediática sobre los negocios legados seleccionados?
Sí, Los Angeles Conservancy presentará negocios legados seleccionados en anuncios de subvenciones, materiales promocionales y posible cobertura mediática. Además, los premiados de la subvención recibirán un conjunto de herramientas de promoción con información y recursos para promocionar su subvención y su negocio.

Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Lisett B. Chavarela, lchavarela@laconservancy.org
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The L.A. Conservancy Provides $5,000 Grants to Ten Small Los Angeles County Legacy Businesses

LOS ANGELES, October 3, 2023—The Los Angeles Conservancy is delighted to announce round two recipients of its Legacy Business grants. Thanks to the generous support of Wells Fargo, in its second funding round, the Conservancy recently awarded five grants of $5,000 each to Kouraku restaurant in Little Tokyo, El Paraiso in Florence-Firestone, Hop Woo restaurant in Chinatown, Avalon Nursery and Ceramics in South Los Angeles, and Lenchita’s restaurant in Pacoima. We invite you to join us on October 11, 2023 for our next People + Places virtual program, Keeping Legacy Businesses: Stories from L.A. to learn more about our Legacy Business Grant Program. We will be joined by Justine Gonzalez, Wells Fargo Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Impact, and Leonardo Romero, second-generation owner of ice cream retailer and manufacturer grant recipient, El Paraiso. To register for this free event, please visit laconservancy.org/leg-biz-stories.

“The Los Angeles Conservancy is a strong supporter of legacy businesses in L.A. County,” says Adrian Scott Fine, senior director of advocacy of the Los Angeles Conservancy. “Thanks to Wells Fargo, the Conservancy’s Legacy Business Grant Program can make funding available to longtime small businesses so they can stay open and continue serving their communities.”

Legacy businesses are a vital part of the fabric of Los Angeles neighborhoods. Familiar, authentic, and dependable, longtime mom-and-pop shops often symbolize a community’s history and resilience. However, high rents, rising costs, overdue repairs, fewer clientele, and unexpected fallouts from the pandemic and inflation have put many legacy businesses at risk.

In 2019, the Conservancy launched its initiative to promote and raise awareness about legacy businesses in Los Angeles County. Since the pandemic, the Conservancy fortified its initiative with a #ISupportLegacyBusiness social media campaign spotlighting longtime small businesses throughout L.A. County, reaching over 5 million.

With the support of Wells Fargo, the Conservancy created the Legacy Business Grant Program in 2022. Over two rounds, the Conservancy granted $5,000 each to ten small businesses in L.A. County that have operated and contributed to their community’s history and/or identity for at least 20 years. The program received more than 500 applications, citing challenges such as struggling to keep up with rising rent and operating costs, unpaid bills, labor expenses, and technology upgrade needs.

“Legacy businesses are at the heart of the neighborhoods they serve,” says Justine D. Gonzalez, Wells Fargo Vice President, Philanthropy and Community Impact. “Wells Fargo is proud to join the Conservancy in strengthening their ability to prosper.”

On October 11, 2023, at 12 p.m., the Conservancy will celebrate the recipients of our first-ever Legacy Business Grant Program with a free virtual event, People + Places: Keeping Legacy Businesses: Stories. Learn more about the first year of our grant program and hear from grant recipient, Leonardo Romero of El Paraiso, who will also provide a live demonstration!

The Conservancy will also release “Legacy Businesses: Stories from L.A.,” three short films by Los Angeles filmmaker Matthew Oquendo. “Time & Tradition,” “Building Community,” and “Feeding the Future” will launch on our YouTube channel (youtube.com/laconservancy) on October 11^th at 10 a.m. These three short films feature the stories of Candelas in Boyle Heights, Sika in Leimert Park, and Lenchita’s in Pacoima, respectively.

About Round Two Grantees

AVALON NURSERY AND CERAMICS, 5334 Avalon Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90011
Owner Maria Luz Lopez founded this South L.A. nursery in 1983 when the corner was just a vacant lot. Today, it’s the only nursery remaining in the neighborhood. Stepping inside the lush, meandering maze of greenery, it is difficult to remember that the bustling corner of Avalon Boulevard and 54th Street is right outside!

HOP WOO BBQ & SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, 845 North Broadway, Los Angeles, 90012
Hop Woo BBQ & Seafood Restaurant is a popular mainstay, thanks to the late Chef Lupe Liang, who was the restaurant’s beloved founder. Chef Liang was a culinary crusader who embraced L.A.’s multicultural layers. (Hop Woo’s menu is offered in English, Spanish, and Chinese.) Liang’s wife Judy, daughters, and its loyal customers have rallied to help keep this family-operated restaurant going amid the pandemic, rising utility costs, and more.

KOURAKU, 314 East 2nd Street, Los Angeles, 90012
Little Tokyo’s Kouraku is known as the oldest operating Japanese ramen noodle restaurant in the country. Founded in 1976, Kouraku was taken over by the late Hiroshi Yamauchi in 1986, who brought popular post-World War II Japanese comfort foods to the community. Though new owner Mamoru Tokuda is now at the restaurant’s helm, Kouraku’s culinary traditions remain and this longstanding restaurant still feels like “home.”

LENCHITA’S TORTILLERIA AND RESTAURANT, 13612 Van Nuys Boulevard, Pacoima, 91331
Lenchita’s Tortillería and Restaurant in Pacoima has been serving up traditional dishes and homemade tortillas since 1977. A San Fernando Valley institution, it’s been said that there hasn’t been a kid from Pacoima who didn’t grow up with a Lenchita’s quesadilla in one hand and a pineapple drink in the other.

EL PARAISO, 1760 East Florence Avenue, Los Angeles, 90001
Paletas are a delicious Mexican frozen treat made from natural fruit, and Florence-Firestone’s El Paraiso has been serving them since 1979. Family-owned and operated, it is part of the neighborhood’s fabric and offers a warm feeling of nostalgia for its customers, many of whom have been coming here for decades.

About Round One Grantees

88 GIFTS SHOP, 311 Ord Street Los Angeles, CA 90031
For over 30 years, the original location of 88 Gifts Shop was in BC Plaza on Broadway. In 2020, owner Annie Ma was forced to relocate her business to its present location. Ma’s shop sells housewares, plants, and a variety of Lunar New Year gifts to neighborhood residents and tourists. Notably, 88 Gifts Shop sells Chinese-language newspapers, keeping local elders in touch with news events both here and abroad.

CANDELAS GUITARS, 2724 E Cesar Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Founded in 1947 by brothers Porfirio and Candelario Delgado-Flores, Candelas specializes in custom guitar making. Third-generation owner Tomas Delgado—along with his son Tomas Jr.—have proudly continued the Candelas legacy of fine craftsmanship. The store’s clientele includes famous artists like José Feliciano but it’s also a source of community pride, giving back to Boyle Heights in many ways including the creation of a 501c (3) nonprofit that provides free music lessons to local youth.

EL AGUILA BAKERY, 5028 Huntington Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90032
El Aguila Bakery was established by Apolinar Casillas in 1973 and has been a beloved fixture in L.A.’s El Sereno community ever since. With a loyal, multi-generational clientele, El Aguila prides itself on its authentic Mexican sweet breads, cakes, tamales, and so much more! The bakery also supports the community by giving back to local institutions such as the city, schools, and places of worship.

GARDENA CINEMA, 14948 Crenshaw Boulevard, Gardena, CA 90249
Gardena Cinema is a single-screen movie cinema built in 1946 and operated by the Kim family since 1976. It’s the only such theatre located in Gardena and has provided affordable entertainment options for more than four generations. It’s a place where families can enjoy a film together and have meaningful experiences: in addition to their unique film slate, Gardena Cinema also hosts cinema potlucks, popcorn happy hours, and more.

SIKA, 4330 Degnan Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90008
Sika, an institution of Leimert Park Village, has been specializing in custom jewelry, African art, clothing, and other goods for 30 years. Sika, the store’s owner, weathered a downturn in the economy in the 2000s. His resilience has commanded the love and respect of the community and, today, despite concerns about gentrification, Sika remains at the heart of the neighborhood as a cultural gathering place.

About the Los Angeles Conservancy

The Los Angeles Conservancy is a member-supported nonprofit organization that works through education and advocacy to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles County. What began as a volunteer group in 1978 has nearly 5,000 member households, the largest membership of any local preservation organization in the U.S.

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