In Inglewood, gentrification and a post-SoFi stadium sea change in the community makeup remain ongoing points of contention and debate. Bridging the gap is Inglewood’s Sip & Sonder, a Black woman-owned cafe that opened in 2017, with a second Downtown outpost at the Music Center. Owners Shanita Nicholas and Amanda-Jane Thomas, who previously worked in law, chose their cafe’s location carefully, intending to represent their community and fill a gap in Inglewood’s neighborhood coffee needs. The cafe also doubles as a recording studio and local event space.