On January 19th an unexpected accident occurred when a vehicle crashed into Sala coffee and wine, forcing them to temporarily close while safety assessments and repairs are underway. Thankfully, pedestrians, patrons, nor staff were not around the scene and no one was severely injured. Something we are deeply grateful for. Unfortunately, the city has flagged and deemed Sala inoperable at this time until permits, repairs, and all inspections have been finalized and approved.

While insurance will address the structural repairs to the building, the sudden closure has created immediate challenges that insurance does not fully cover. Like many small hospitality businesses, they operate close to the margins, and even a short interruption impacts their employees and the small businesses they use as vendors.

This fundraiser is about keeping our community intact and Sala afloat during this downtime and to ensure their staff is able to be kept employed during this challenging time. We'd like to keep them apart of the Long Beach community and even the smallest donation can make a great impact towards this goal.

All funds raised will be used for uninsured and indirect impacts of the closure, including:

• Payroll support for staff during the shutdown

• Rent, utilities, and essential fixed expenses

• Outstanding invoices and continued support for our coffee, food, and wine vendors

• Operational costs associated with reopening

This fundraiser is not intended to replace or duplicate any insurance claim. All insurance matters related to the building repairs are being handled separately.

We appreciate your support and willingness to keep Sala in this community.