TERA is spotlighting Eagle Rock small businesses to support our neighborhood’s recovery from the pandemic. For February 2022, we are spotlighting ROCK Coffee House , the beloved coffee shop and community center at the intersection of Yosemite and Townsend.
Below is an interview with ROCK’s inspiring co-owner, Stephen Kia:
What is the story behind ROCK Coffee House and ROCK Community Center?
ROCK is an acronym that stand for Reach Our Community Kids. We are a nonprofit that was started over 20 years ago as a faith-based collaboration of local churches who wanted to provide a teen center for at-risk youth. I currently serve as President & CEO of the nonprofit. Over the years our mission has broadened to be more inclusive, providing a safe space for the community as a whole. We continue to honor our faith-based roots while expanding our reach to embrace more than just youth. My partner Ricardo Cruz and I launched ROCK Coffee House together in its current form in January 2019, to help support the nonprofit. Ricardo’s family has coffee farms in Guatemala, so we bring the coffee in and roast it locally here in Highland Park with Matthew Schodorf at Cafe de Leche on York. In the long term, we have plans to use some of the proceeds from the coffee shop to fund clean water projects in West Africa, specifically in Nigeria where my family has ties. Our tagline is: “Jesus turned water into wine; we turn coffee into water.” 😊
What are some of the ways that ROCK serves the Eagle Rock community?
The primary way we serve the community is by providing our building as a safe space for people to gather, from the Eagle Rock Sk8 Chix to our AA and NA recovery groups, to our open mic nights and gaming nights and movie nights, to our dance and fitness classes, and now the community fridge and pantry. We even have a Girl Scout troop meeting in our space twice a month now. We love creating an environment for the community to come together. We also partner with Occidental College on service projects throughout the community; with Parents, Educators/Teachers and Students in Action (PESA) to provide free tutoring services as well as juvenile diversion programs; and with Comprehensive Community Health Centers (CCHC) to provide low-cost health referral services.
ROCK has been a valued partner in TERA’s Slow Yosemite initiative. What are some of your long term goals for ROCK?
We are super excited to partner with TERA on Slow Yosemite, to help make our intersection safer and more enjoyable for pedestrians! In the long term we want to see a People St. Plaza in place in front of the ROCK on Townsend Avenue, creating a whole new walkable experience that will really complement the community fridge on the Yosemite Drive side of our building. We’d like to install more outdoor seating and expand the existing green space, maybe create a regular calendar of events for live music, an art walk, even a mini farmers market of sorts. I can’t wait!
🪨 ☕
ROCK Coffee
4808 Townsend Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90041
therockcommunity.org / (323) 257-6102
Monday – Saturday: 7 AM – 9 PM
Sunday: 1 PM – 7 PM