[dropcap size=big]I[/dropcap]t was a Sunday afternoon like any other at the Ladera Center Starbucks in South L.A., filled with boisterous chatter, laughter and socializing. The speed chess guys sat inside and the cigar-smoking dominoes guys sat outside, set up around a couple of tables at the location’s sprawling patio.
But on this Sunday, October 21, the vibe felt more like a wake than a party, as a congregation of regulars gathered for one last hurrah. It was a send-off not just to a Starbucks store, but to the demise of a real coffeehouse, how they were originally meant to be, an open and accessible space for a community.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson opened this Starbucks in 1998, and the store quickly established itself on W. Centinela Ave. as a veritable institution of Ladera Heights. The regulars came to this cafe one last time to celebrate a beloved neighborhood meeting place, because the “Magic Johnson” Starbucks has closed for good.
Over the past two decades, the area has experienced notable revitalization, with rents increasing along with the number of updated chain stores and shops. In that time, Starbucks added three additional stores in the area — including a drive-thru location that is practically just across the street on La Cienega, and a coffee bar inside a Ralph’s across the parking lot.