By Jay Jackson for the Los Angeles Sentinel
Originally published Jan. 14, 2026
On any given day, you might find Michelin Guide-listed chef Keith Corbin in the kitchen of Harun Coffee in Leimert Park Village whipping up his famous egg, cheese, and turkey sausage breakfast sandwich or acclaimed barista Karina Des Roses steeping her award-winning loose-leaf chai tea for her dedicated “in-the-know” fans.
Perri Lawler is one of those fans. When she heard Harun would be holding its grand reopening on Jan. 9, featuring her “favorite barista in the world,” Lawler said she had to make the journey to Degnan Boulevard for a sip.
“This is very exciting. Leimert Park is a staple in the Black community,” said Lawler. “The chai is very delicious, very warming, which matches the aesthetic of the place. It makes me want to sit down, take my time, read a book and just… be.”
Terrell Williams heard about the re-opening, too, and made a visit to Harun the first thing on his calendar.
“I love it,” he said. “I’m really excited to see community and culture connect. This is everything for me.”
Carson Childs, general manager at Harun, told The LA Local the grand opening was a “special litmus test.”
“We had a huge showing for coffee music and culture and it felt great to be in service of all of that at Harun,” Childs said, adding that “It’s an important reminder we have so much in this community here and that if we invest in it, people will show up for it.”
If the daytime sounds impressive, owner Chace Johnson, known worldwide as “Chace Infinite” while managing mega-rapper A$AP Rocky, plans to make the evenings just as dynamic. Just pull open the canary yellow south side wall of the coffeehouse, disguised as a merchandise display shelf, and you’ll enter an entirely different mise-en-scène – a high-ceilinged, cavish room Johnson describes as a modern-day speakeasy.
It’s replete with low-slung couches, Arabic and African patterned throw-pillows, and stereo equipment that would make a 1970s-disc jockey cry tears of joy. Johnson says it’s a space for casual conversations and low-key chit chat by day. But from 6 to 11 p.m., it transforms into a temple of Black social justice and discourse for poets, politics and performers.
“The idea for us to stay open until 11 o’clock at night really came from studying coffee movements in Black communities and what it meant to us in the civil rights era,” says Johnson.
“A lot of our coffee shops flourished at night, where people had a chance to gather together and talk about whether they were going to be protesting and exchanging ideas.”
It wasn’t politics or poets, but performers who kicked off the nighttime half of Harun’s re-opening. First up, the Grammy-nominated sax sensation Terrace Martin, featuring keyboard mainstay Kenneth Crouch. Crouch is the first call for chart-topping stars such as Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, and Dr. Dre, to name a few.
But Leimert Park is home base for Crouch. And he says, it’s good to be back. Especially with a line of more than 100 people standing outside the coffee shop waiting to rotate into the 40-seat space.
“It’s very important because what’s old is what’s new,” said Crouch. “Being here, it reminds me of being here 30 years ago, which feels like yesterday. I remember when Terrace was in his pre-adult years and being blown away. So this is a homecoming.”
If day one was any indicator, there will be lots of long lines outside the 2200-square-foot coffee shop/speakeasy in the future. That’s exactly what Cheron Hall wants to see. He co-founded the private investment firm called Community Labs, which helped to fund and consult on the reopening. It’s something he has experience in. Community Labs recently did the same for the upscale Lore bookstore next door to Harun. Also, they funded the cavernous Ora Cafe across the street, on the 4300 block of Degnan Boulevard.
Hall, who is the son of legendary actor, comedian, and former late-night talk show host Arsenio Hall, says the entire area is a gold mine of culture, community, and creativity. He says the $300,000 or so put into the coffee shop is a small investment given the potential return.
“It’s already a gold mine. This has been a mecca of Black art and culture not just for Southern California, but for the entire United States,” said Hall. “When we look at commercial assets and small businesses, all of these things revolve around and are anchored by that cultural vibrancy. Mandate number one is how do we preserve and protect that as we grow.”
Johnson says keeping the community in the mix is critical.
“It just provides an opportunity for us to show somebody who works here, lives here, family is being raised here own a show that ordinarily would be done by somebody outside of the community.”
Arsenio Hall joined his son on opening night. He beamed, made suggestions, and bopped to the jazz. Most of all, it was a proud poppa moment.
“Coffee, books, with them or without them, I’m proud,” said Hall.
“But I’m so happy that these young brothers who I’ve known since they were young men… just high school kids doing this incredible thing in the heart of culture. Right here, where it means the most. There’s no place like home!”
LA Local editor Amir Vera contributed reporting.
