HELP SAVE YOGURT STOP IN WEST HOLLYWOOD
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Our landlords Joanne Nathan, Robin Liotta, Patt Sefton-Hoffen, Warren Sefton and Yank Sefton (members of Eleanor Nathan as Trustee of the Eleanor Nathan Survivor’s Trust, and 8801 Santa Monica Blvd., LLC, a California Limited Liability Company) have informed us they no longer want Yogurt Stop as it doesn’t fit with their vision of their “first-class shopping center".
Their First-Class Shopping Center:
Their First-Class Shopping Center:
We have owned Yogurt Stop for the past 13 years located at 8803 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069
They have told us that when our lease expires in 2023 they will not let us exercise our 3-year option nor let us have a new lease. We are dumbfounded as we are excellent tenants and have always paid our rent on time. During Covid, we even used a portion of our PPP to pay some advance rent which they returned saying they don’t accept advance rent.
Through their attorneys, Luisa Jaffe (Luisa G. Jaffe) and Saul Jaffe, we strongly believe they have asserted various misleading claims stating we are in default for selling potatoes chips, cookies, candy and more. As being in default prevents us from exercising our option or selling our business, we will need to go the legal route, which is costly, to prove we are not in default. Our landlords have also accused us of stopping tenants from coming into this building and have attempted to extort over $25,000 by sending us their legal bills.
Mentally and physically exhausted, we felt our only path to resolution was putting our business up for sale. We secured a viable buyer (in our opinion) with financial strength and strong experience. The landlords almost immediately declined him giving numerous reasons why they would not accept him, one being “…nor has he identified any experience in, or connection to, the West Hollywood market…”
We are not alone in this. We have been contacted by former tenants and prospective tenants who have shared adverse experiences. We tenants are tired of getting chewed up and spat out by landlords who have no regard for how hard we all work to make an honest living. So it's time we stand up to these landlords and not take it anymore.
And this is where we need you. It is very humbling to ask for help, but this is the only way Yogurt Stop will survive until 2026. (We would like to go on past 2026, but they have adamantly said they will not renew our lease.) We are seeking to raise $40,000. We anticipate our legal bills will exceed that number, however, we will scrape together the remaining. We always say, "We will figure it out."
For 13 years, we've been a staple and part of the fabric of West Hollywood's Boystown/Rainbow District. Not only is Yogurt Stop one of the few remaining small businesses, but we are the only gay-owned business in our 7 unit complex which our landlords own.
We love our WeHo Community and are not just fighting for ourselves and our only source of income, but for all of our community and friends who want Yogurt Stop to "live forever". We are also fighting for tenants who have gone through similar experiences and have not had the strength or support to fight. Let's all do this together.
Your love and support these past 13 years mean the world to us. We couldn't have done it without you!
Xxx, Yogurt Stop - Your Mom & Mom shop!
P.S. If you donate $50 or more, we will give you a free yogurt!
P.S. If you donate $50 or more, we will give you a free yogurt!
Organizer
Marta Knittel
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA