A line spilled out of Harun Coffee at its grand reopening in Leimert Park last week, with customers passing the time by taking selfies in front of the A-frame mirror sign out front. Inside, they settled into furniture that doubled as functional art, including a bi-level table and spool stools created by designer Shin Okuda for the neighborhood coffee shop.
“As somebody who likes checking out different coffee shops, I thought this one was really unique,” said Sneh Chawla, a Palms resident visiting Harun for the first time. “I love that it has such a community vibe.”
Founded by former music executive Chace Johnson in 2019, Harun Coffee was forced to close in 2023 — marking a disturbing trend of minority-owned businesses shuttering in the historically Black neighborhood, including long-standing Eso Won Books and Swift Cafe. Since then, an effort to retain Leimert Park’s identity has taken hold, led in part by Community Labs, a private investment firm founded by Prophet Walker and Cheron Hall with a mission to nurture and protect the legacy of underrepresented communities…