For more than three decades, Sacred Grounds has served up steaming coffee at reasonable prices, offered creative open-mic nights and roundtable camaraderie for locals of all ages who had some free time — and made lasting friendships.
Many brought their laptops for some off-site work space.
But this week, it all came to an end — for now, but maybe forever.
Owner David Lynch and supporters carried out vintage refrigerators, tables and other furniture and mementos for storage to make way for Los Angeles work crews carrying out renovations on the 1930s Warner Grand Theatre that is attached to — and part of — the Sacred Grounds structure.
“We’ve had a good run here,” Lynch said on Wednesday, April 30, the day the doors closed, carrying some golf clubs and other random wood pieces out to his Chevy truck. “A lot of our customers have been coming by.”
A young dad pushing a stroller by the storefront, 468 W. Sixth St., in downtown San Pedro, spoke to Lynch.
“It’s too bad. I’m going to miss you guys,” he said. “You coming back?”
Undetermined, Lynch indicated.
“I’m sorry,” the customer said. “Good luck.”
What comes next for Lynch and the coffee house — which got its start in 1992 under different ownership at the corner of Sixth and Mesa streets — where Niko’s is now — is still being worked out.
Lynch purchased Sacred Grounds from a couple in 1995 when it was at 399 W. Sixth St., its initial location. It moved to the historic adjacent theater space in 2005, where the business model focused on less entertainment and more coffee and catering.
When the theater reopens — expected in time for the holiday season in 2026, according to Los Angeles Councilmember Tim McOsker — the city will put the cafe space out for bid and Sacred Grounds would be welcome to compete.
But, Lynch said, he hasn’t decided yet whether he will try to return to the historic spot or look for another location.
Moving elsewhere in the historic waterfront/downtown has the emotional pull, he said. But he could also just focus more on his catering venture moving forward.
The loss of the beloved cafe, however, would hit many hard.
An online petition drew more than 3,000 signatures to keep the cafe open, with many concerned that the historic downtown district was already seeing too many massive changes as mid-rise, box-shaped, modern mixed-use construction was replacing or overshadowing art-deco buildings that have long characterized the port community.
Eric Eisenberg, a downtown property owner and member of the downtown Business Improvement District board, met with McOsker’s council office, Lynch and others to try to pull together a last-minute interim location before the closure. But it became too costly and complicated an effort to accomplish in the end.
“(Sacred Grounds) has been a San Pedro mainstay for 30 years,” Eisenberg said. “He has loyal clients and it’s going to be a loss for the community. We’re losing an establishment that’s open all year long, is reliably open on upper Sixth Street (when downtown needs more business).”
Lynch also puts on a free Christmas dinner for some 400 people every year, Eisenberg said — something not many are aware of.
For now, Lynch will continue with his side catering business, partnering with Los Angeles Harbor College and sharing kitchen facilities with local restaurants and the Scout youth camp at Cabrillo Beach. Opening a new restaurant is both expensive and time-consuming, he said, and it involves dealing with the cumbersome Los Angeles City codes and inspection process, which is no small challenge for any dining business.
It all will require much personal thought over the coming months, he said. Investors would help.
But the sadness in closing the long chapter — for now at least — on Sixth Street is hitting hard, not just for Lynch but also for the scores of patrons, loyal employees and supporters who have loved the place through the years.
That chapter includes decades working with Lee Sweet, the city’s longtime on-site theater manager, providing catering for the historic movie house, serving the regulars who’d gather at the simple indoor and outdoor cafe tables from early morning to evenings, and watching the easy hometown friendships that formed, including the many seniors who got to know each other and looked forward to meeting up every day.
Film crews also loved the ambiance and used the cafe site frequently.
There was an off-beat energy about the place, Lynch said, that would be hard to replicate.
It was empty by the end of the day Wednesday — but wouldn’t stay that way long.
The theater construction workers quickly moved into the former coffee house spot, said Liz Schindler Johnson, president and executive director of the Grand Vision Foundation. The 1930s movie palace formally closed and was fenced off on Dec 18, 2024, with the ongoing work to include installing elevators, a lift for those with disabilities, restroom upgrades, a new guest lounge and terrace space on the mezzanine, and heating, air-conditioning, lighting and fire system upgrades. Other plans call for restoration work on the theater’s historic ceilings, walls, columns, pilasters, flooring, railings and other elements; and an expanded concession service that will include an upstairs location to eliminate wait times in the lobby.
The pandemic, Johnson said, has brought many changes to all downtown districts. But the waterfront and historic San Pedro area is positioned to take advantage of the transitions.
“I do see more people with strollers and pets, people walking dogs in the evenings,” she said. “We’d like to see more activity in town; we still have a lot of great restaurants. During COVID, everybody figured out how to shop online and (so now) we have to focus on experiences, on theater, art, eating, drinking — anything you can do in person and can’t do at home, so I think San Pedro is better off, we have a charming atmosphere that no mall can compete with, we have the real thing.”
Johnson said she’d defer to McOsker on the late holiday 2026 reopening date for the Warner Grand, but did say it will be all worth it when it does happen.
“I can’t wait for the first opening night and whatever that performance might be,” she said. “We’ll pull out all the stops.”
Still, for Lynch and the Sacred Grounds coffee house gang — who won’t see their favorite table or likely find their affordable cup of brew — a beloved part of San Pedro and the historic theater will probably feel like it’s sadly missing.