![]() ![]() But it was formerly known as the LA Black Investors Club, which before Sip & Sonder came into crystallization, and that organization at the time was really focused on entrepreneurship. Our nonprofit right now our 501c3 nonprofit is known as Sonder Impact. I kind of immediately began that search of “Okay, what do I really want to be when I grow up?” When coffee entered the conversation and Janine and I would just talk about coffee, I said, “We're gonna do a foray into coffee, but it's really the coffee and more.” And, “How are we really going to approach this amazing product, create something that is quality, but then also everything else that that it will enable us to do?” ![]() In college, I would always say to my friends, “When I grow up and work, and then afterwards retire, I want to have a coffee shop and be a barista.”Īmanda-Jane Thomas: For a while, during my legal practice, and when I first started, I immediately knew that that wasn't it. We got to talk about all of the things we dreamed about, what we wanted to be in life and things we wanted to do. Amanda was such a crucial part of that experience. I started creating meetups for us to get together, and inside of the firm, to share what we were experiencing as individuals. But I really enjoyed the time that I got to spend with the other Black women inside of the firm. And it really did become the non-typical New York corporate legal office – I'm working around the clock, kind of leaving myself at the door when I would walk into that space, which also meant leaving the stories that were happening around the country, and within the Black community in particular, and kind of more broadly, I'm just happening around the world and not being able to bring that aspect of feelings and conversation and reality and to the workplace. Shanita Nicholas: Amanda Jane and I met at our very first law firm working together. With Sip & Sonder’s first location on Market Street in Inglewood, Black and Brown-owned businesses are cropping up more frequently in the neighborhood. What we're doing now is kind of the culmination of a path that took some turns and twists. ![]() I never would have imagined that I would be in food and beverage. It was just obvious to us: Sip & Saunder – that's the name of our company. It really is that starting point of connection, just like coffee. When I hear “sonder,” I think about a way for me and others to connect with each other. We love it so much that it's part of our company name, because it really is really at the root of what we're all about. Full of its own ups, downs, struggles, happiness, joy, everything. KCRW: What inspired you to open Sip & Sonder?Īmanda-Jane Thomas: “Sonder” comes from the “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” and the definition is that it’s the realization that everyone around you is living a life that's as vivid and complex and beautiful as your own right. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Now with three locations, Sip & Sonder is the subject of this week's In The Weeds. ![]() They wanted to create a community-minded venture complete with a roastery, a creative space, and live events. But Shanita and Amanda-Jane always saw it as more than a cafe. When they opened Sip & Sonder at the end of 2018, it was the first specialty coffee house in predominantly Black Inglewood. That hadn't always been easy to find for Shanita Nicholas and Amanda-Jane Thomas. Why do two lawyers decide to enter the much more perilous and less lucrative world of hospitality? Because they want a cafe that reflects their identity, one where Black people feel welcome, where they can enjoy all the perks of cafe culture. ![]()
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