sonder digest
Our muse at Sip & Sonder has always been and continues to be the collective community around us. Through the Sonder Digest, we look forward to expanding our experience with you.
unstoppable
ISSUE NO. 2 | MARCH 2020
“We got turned down, we failed, had set backs, had to start over a lot of times. But we kept going at it. In anybody’s case that’s always the distinguishing factor.”
— NIPSEY HUSSLE
Amanda-Jane Thomas and Shanita Nicholas, the founders of Sip & Sonder, signed a lease at 108 S. Market Street in Inglewood, CA on May 1, 2017. Almost two years later, on April 1, 2019, we officially opened our coffee house doors to the public. In the time between signing our lease and opening our doors, we became general contractors, regulatory experts, technologists, small business owners, and intense lovers of our community. We became unstoppable.
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To be unstoppable does not mean we were without obstacles. Those obstacles, which came at every turn, are why it took us two years to officially open. For example, we had to fix the plumbing under our concrete bathroom floors (three times!), we discovered water damage in our ceilings, which led to an unexpected refurbishing project, and we won't even get into navigating the various city, county, and state permitting and licensing requirements. We had two false soft openings, ran a Kickstarter campaign, and worked full-time corporate law jobs. We cried, yelled, and meditated, on repeat. But we didn't stop.
On the eve of our opening, March 31, 2019, we along with the rest of the South LA community and the world learned about the untimely death of Nipsey Hussle. In that moment, we broke collectively. In the year since, we have been fueled by his legacy to press forward. Not only has the incredibly talented, brilliant, diverse community around us not stopped, but they have continued to build and create businesses, support one another, and celebrate this journey we find ourselves on together.
We are excited to have made it one year with your support! Although we have temporarily closed our doors due to COVID-19, we haven't stopped. These are the ways we are still bringing coffee, community, and culture (at a responsible social distance of course!):
1. Bags of our in-house coffee and merch (e.g., tote bags and mugs) available in our ONLINE STORE for storefront pickup only at the shop on Saturdays and Sundays 10:30 am - 2 pm PST | Follow us on Instagram @sipandsonder to stay tuned for any further updates!
2. Made-to-order drinks available for storefront pickup only at the shop through the JOE COFFEE APP on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 am - 2 pm PST | Follow us on Instagram @sipandsonder to stay tuned for any further updates!
3. EGIFT CARDS available for purchase in our ONLINE STORE
4. Accepting DONATIONS to support our full reopen
5. Join us April 1st for CUPS UP!, our one year anniversary celebration and fundraiser (see details below)
CUPS UP! Happy One Year Anniversary Sip & Sonder!
Son-der (n.)
The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex AS YOUR OWN—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries.
CUPS UP COMMUNITY!
We made it! Although we can't celebrate our one year anniversary with you in person, we'd love for you to show out and kick it with us for our day of virtual events! Plus, we're raising funds to keep the coffee house going once we ride this 'rona wave. Let's make it to year 2! Click below for more info!
Our muse in the physical space of Sip & Sonder has always been and continues to be the collective community around us. Through THE SONDER DIGEST, we look forward to expanding our experience with you.
Peace + Love, SIP & SONDER
happiness
ISSUE NO. 1 | AUGUST 2019
“I would like to bring to people something like happiness.”
— JOHN COLTRANE
We've been quietly working on something special, and are excited to introduce THE SONDER DIGEST, a communal compilation of cultural realizations, written by our community, for the culture. In this prelude, we're saluting the iconic John Coltrane, and reflecting on what it means to be given the means and privilege to make others happy.
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Happiness means something different to each and every one of us. And yet, it's life's most cherished goal—we all want it, and are in eternal pursuit of it. Therein lies the sonder. What we have in common with one another, regardless of how disparate our life paths might appear, is that we are each seeking and striving for happiness, stumbling over what it even means, and having new realizations that refine our understanding of it. This life goal, this sonder, connects us and grounds us in empathy. We can all relate to the pursuit of happiness.
Son-der (n.)
The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex AS YOUR OWN—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries.
So if there's no "one size fits all" definition of happiness, then how do we make others happy? We don't have all the answers, but we do know that one positive action produces an outward stretch of positive vibrations. A kind word, a sweet melody, or a warm gesture creates a happiness ripple in the fabric of our days. It begins to show up, like a note that's intentionally repeated throughout a song, subtly and everywhere. A happiness reprise, A Love Supreme. Coltrane showed us that we can each use our gifts "to bring to people something like happiness." And while we haven't unlocked all the keys to happiness, we are thankful to be on this collective journey towards achieving it.
Our muse in the physical space of Sip & Sonder has always been and continues to be the collective community around us. Through THE SONDER DIGEST, we look forward to expanding our experience with you.
Peace + Love, SIP & SONDER