The owner of Cuban Leaf Cigar Lounge said the business is preparing to leave its Market Street location by the end of August following the sale of the property.
Owner Pahvae Psalms said the transition has disrupted his membership-based business, displaced loyal customers and ended years of investment in downtown Inglewood.
Psalms, a former music industry executive and producer, said he spent nearly $200,000 building out the space for the cigar lounge when he signed the lease three years ago.
“They sold the building up under my nose without me knowing it,” Psalms said. “The previous owners assured me that they’d renew my contract and I’d be around for the Olympics.”
The previous listed owners, 118 North Market Street LLC, could not be reached for comment.
For nearly a decade, Cuban Leaf Cigar Lounge has served as a gathering place for professionals, entrepreneurs and cigar enthusiasts in Inglewood. It was previously located on Florence Avenue near Locust Street. Now, Psalms is facing the difficult task of relocating the business again after learning the building had been sold.
“There’s a large exodus of businesses, legacy businesses, without communication or coordination from the city or the mayor’s office,” said Cherella Nicholson, president of the Downtown Inglewood Association. “About 10 businesses have left Market Street in the last nine months.”
Inglewood Mayor James Butts wrote in an email that “neither the city nor the mayor’s office is informed when businesses close in the city.”
“Businesses close or move for a variety of reasons unconnected with the government,” Butts wrote. “I have no information that 10 businesses closed in the last 9 months on Market Street.”
The Martin family is the new owner of the building
Psalms said he was notified during the last week of May that the property had changed hands.
According to Psalms, the new building owner is the Martin family, who owns multiple restaurants in Inglewood. Psalms said he hasn’t received any official paperwork to vacate from the previous owners or from the Martin family. Christian Martin said he and his family met with Psalms in person to discuss the ownership change and Psalms told The LA Local discussions have primarily been over the phone.
The lounge’s water service was shut off in mid-June when the property changed ownership and after provisions in the existing lease requiring the landlord to pay for water were rejected, Psalms said. The water was turned back on after the transfer of ownership, Martin explained.
Martin told The LA Local his family bought the property housing the cigar lounge in June and that Psalms was on a month-to-month lease. Martin said he gave Psalms 90 days to vacate after speaking with him in person, and there was no need for a formal eviction.
“When it’s time for them to sell, they didn’t even offer us the chance to buy,” Psalms said. “I would’ve bought the building.”
Martin also said his family bought the space because they will eventually have to move four businesses affected by the city’s transit project.
Cuban Leaf’s move also affects their membership program. More than 30 members who paid approximately $3,000 annually will have to receive refunds for the remainder of their memberships, creating an additional financial burden, Psalms said
While he searches for a new location, Psalms hopes to remain on Market Street — this time as a property owner rather than a tenant.
“It kind of hurts because it’s personal for me,” Psalms said. “But I’m still excited about the future.”
