Ruben Barcenas, who goes by High Channel, recently opened a studio called High Channel Division on Atlantic Avenue in Lynwood. The studio was originally intended to serve as a clothing store solely, but is now home to a small cafe just behind a private tattoo studio.
“My whole theme for it was to be like Zumiez, but for the hood. For the community," Barcenas tells L.A. TACO. "I wanted to give a chance to those people who want to start a clothing brand.”
This spot quickly transcended clothing and now serves as a space for passersby to grab a new hat, get new ink, and devour a sweet treat immediately afterward.
“I wanted to do something different. I wanted to make sobriety attractive, in any type of way,” Barcenas says.
The vision for this space all began with Barcena's own sobriety and the tumultuous past that he’s long since recovered from.