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Granada cafe owners\u00a0architect John Isaac Watters and musician Sydney Wayser.<\/p>\n
Photo by Justin Chung | Courtesy Granada <\/p>\n
Angeleno Heights\u2014For musician Sydney Wayser and architect John Isaac Watters, Granada \u2014 the coffee shop they opened in their new back house in Angeleno Heights \u2014 began as something they built for themselves: a small space where they and friends could make art and let their creative lives spill outdoors<\/p>\n
Watters had lived in the neighborhood for more than 15 years when he introduced Wayser to the \u201chidden pocket\u201d of Echo Park. She was drawn to its Victorian homes, streetlights and the stories they learned from neighbors.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis neighborhood has a special spark to it,\u201d Wayser said.<\/p>\n
The couple met at an art event in 2016 and married six years ago. Wayser, a 39-year-old Berklee College of Music graduate, toured as CLARA-NOVA and sang backup for Lorde. Watters studied architecture at USC before becoming a set designer. The 41-year-old recently worked on Christopher Nolan\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before Granada, Wayser had been trying to figure out what came after a life centered on music.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy entire identity since I was four years old was [that] I am a musician,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But after the birth of their daughter, Mara, now 3, her priorities changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like there\u2019s Isaac and there\u2019s Mara and those two things come before music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wayser said Granada has been \u201creally grounding and mentally healing,\u201d giving her another creative outlet she shares with her husband and community.<\/p>\n
Watters suggested opening a coffee shop after learning they could operate a small food business from home. Wayser initially rejected the idea. Then the couple began watching \u201cThe Bear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was inspired by the passion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Two months later, they began planning Granada.<\/p>\n
Their property reflects the neighborhood history they value. It was once part of the neighboring Kapsare Cohn House, which served as Los Angeles\u2019 first Jewish hospital, and Wayser believes their pomegranate tree is nearly 100 years old.<\/p>\n
Granada has become part of Mara\u2019s childhood, too. Wayser recalled seeing a video of her daughter walking barefoot through the garden carrying a stuffed fox.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a cool thing to grow up in,\u201d she remembered thinking.<\/p>\n
For Wayser and Watters, Granada has become something they never set out to build: a new creative life rooted in a neighborhood they already loved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t imagine living anywhere else in the city,\u201d Wayser said.<\/p>\n
Magnolia LaFleur<\/a> is a Los Angeles-based journalist as well as a contemporary fine artist whose work has been exhibited in galleries and museums.<\/p>\n Support Eastside Community News \u2014 Now Tax-Deductible<\/p>\n You can now make a tax-deductible contribution to support The Eastsider\u2019s civic and accountability coverage on the Eastside.<\/p>\n Choose what works for you: <\/p>\n \u2022 Become a monthly supporter and help us reach 500 neighbors funding daily reporting<\/p>\n \u2022 Make a single gift to our new Eastside Community News Fund<\/p>\n Strong local news keeps residents informed and leaders accountable.<\/p>\n Thank you for your consideration.<\/p>\n \u2014Jes\u00fas Sanchez, Publisher<\/p>\n
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