Business Conversions

Plans to convert a Main Street liquor store into a gourmet coffee shop were approved by city officials last week, but a dispute between the building's owner and the tenant has delayed the transformation from alcohol beverages to caffeinated ones. Ron Bennett, owner of the building that houses Nip 'N Stuff Liquor at 322 Main St., had planned to open Bennett's Coffee Co. on the site in April, offering imported coffee and bakery goods.

The city's Board of Zoning Appeals has given final approval to a plan to replace a liquor store destroyed in last year's riots with a self-service laundry. Construction could begin in January. The board's 4-0 vote Tuesday was hailed as a victory for the community by local activists such as Sylvia Castillo, whose group, the Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, opposes the rebuilding of liquor stores. "It's a real success. We've collaborated all along," said Castillo.

Like many other Korean American riot victims, Jae Yul Kim is grappling with a conflict: the eco nomic necessity of rebuilding his South-Central business versus the lingering fear of going back. Twice before last year's riots, the liquor store owner was robbed at gunpoint. Once, a robber fired a shot at his chest, but a shield of bulletproof glass in front of his cash register saved him. "I don't like running a liquor store, but I have no choice," Kim said.

There were no TV cameras in Room 561-A of City Hall on Tuesday morning. But less than three hours after Damian Monroe Williams was sentenced in the Criminal Courts Building across the street, a new, more harmonious piece of post-riot Los Angeles history was unfolding at a sparsely attended hearing of the Board of Zoning Appeals.

In its comfortable spot next to Sharky's Tattoos on Pacific Coast Highway in Sunset Beach, the place looks just like any other beach-town bar. The weathered sign reads "Thursday's, Where Happy Hour Never Ends." Like the other watering holes that line the shore from King Neptune's Landing to Turc's lounge, Thursday's still draws a loyal crowd. But the beer stopped flowing 11 years ago, and the stiffest drink served is a cup of black coffee. "Hi, I'm John, and I'm an alcoholic. . ."