Neighbors and Friends: A Space for Community and Collaboration

Neighbors and Friends, a unique café, build-your-own cheese box bar, and retail shop, officially opened its doors in Old Town Pasadena on November 1. Co-founded by entrepreneurs Kaiy Smith-Biesman and Hannah Said, Neighbors & Friends is more than just a café; it’s a community space designed to uplift local businesses and celebrate diverse voices. This vibrant new spot was made possible thanks to a $250,000 Growth Capital loan from LISC LA’s Asset Building for Communities of Color (ABC) program, with support from Wells Fargo. 

Neighbors & Friends offers the first build-your-own cheese box bar in Los Angeles, along with a curated café menu featuring handcrafted sandwiches, coffee, and specialty beverages from co-founder Hannah’s coffee brand, Saffron Cowboy. The retail section features products sourced exclusively from BIPOC, women, and nonbinary entrepreneurs, including floral arrangements by Opal Flower House, local olive oils from Olivo Amigo, and unique home goods from Rose and Daisy. 

Kaiy and Hannah’s vision is for Neighbors & Friends to become a place where Pasadena residents and visitors can connect, learn, and enjoy. “We hope Neighbors & Friends will serve as a space for events and workshops that unite the community and promote local businesses,” Kaiy said. “This isn’t just a business; it’s a space for neighbors and friends, a place where we can grow alongside other entrepreneurs and bring our community closer together.” 

For Kaiy and Hannah, Neighbors & Friends represents a lifelong dream to bring people together through food and community. “The ABC funding truly changed everything,” Kaiy shared. “Without it, we wouldn’t be opening our store. It’s allowed us to build out the space, expand, hire, and properly train our team so that our opening day would run smoothly, and we can bring our best to the community.” 

The ABC program, designed to empower small businesses within low to moderate income communities across Los Angeles County, provided Neighbors & Friends with the financial resources they needed to make this vision a reality. However, the program’s impact reaches beyond funding. After years of facing barriers in traditional lending systems, Kaiy and Hannah found in the ABC program a partner dedicated to helping small businesses like theirs succeed. 

“It wasn’t just the money,” Kaiy added. “The support, resources, and community connections we’ve gained through ABC have been invaluable. After years of hearing ‘no’ from banks, this program gave us not only the funding but also a community that believes in us.” 

LISC LA continues to support small businesses like Neighbors & Friends, helping create spaces where community and opportunity thrive. With every loan, resource, and connection, the ABC program is paving the way for more entrepreneurs in Los Angeles County to expand their businesses and generate wealth. 

Neighbors & Friends is located at 88 E. Union Street in Pasadena and is open from 7 am to 7 pm, Tuesday through Sunday.