Inglewood sisters open this wine bar on La Brea Avenue, just north of Centinela Avenue, which features the largest selection of Black-owned wines in California.
By Tracey Edwards
Wedding planner Leslie Jones and attorney LeAnn Jones have very active social lives that takes them to nice restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area. And their night lives typically include a nice glass of wine. But the sisters typically had to leave Inglewood, where they’re both from, to go to an upscale establishment.
“Our circle of friends, we like to go out and have a good time,” Leslie said. “We like to eat and drink at nice restaurants. Every time we want to do that, which is normally a couple times a week, we either have to go to downtown, Manhattan Beach, Culver City, Pasadena, or the valley. All of us are young Black professionals that live in Inglewood.”
LeAnn was looking for a passion project which included her admiration for wine, and Leslie was looking for an event space for her event management business.
“We decided to marry both of those ideas together and find a space that we can both do,” Leslie said.
That led them to opening 1010 Wine and Events, which is the city’s first ever wine bar. Opening a wine bar in Inglewood would also solve their issue, and many other locals’ issue, of having to leave the city for a night out on the town.
“My sister and I had this passion to do this, so we were like, ‘Why not do this in the city that we’re from so that we could stop leaving our neighborhood to enjoy good food and good wine?’” Leslie said.
This upscale wine bar features the largest selection of Black-owned wines in the state of California, and their food menu is curated by Chef Kyndra McCrary, owner of Swift Cafe in Leimert Park.
This wine bar has luxurious decor, and will have live music and DJs that will set the vibe just right.
“We want it to be upscale, but also feel like home,” Leslie said. “Last night our playlist was ‘90s R&B. The night before it was Afrobeats. When people come in, it’s like girls night out. They’re dressed up.”
1010 Wine and Events has a wine club where members will receive quarterly shipments of Black-owned wines, and members will receive discounts on wine and food at the wine bar. There will be wine tasting and education events, and the staff is very knowledgeable about wine, so they will be able to help customers make the proper selections. The wine bar is also available for private events.
1010 Wine and Events is located at 1010 N. La Brea Avenue, just north of Centinela Avenue. They are open Thursdays 5 p.m. - 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 5 p.m. - 11 p.m., and Sundays 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. For more information visit their website at www.1010wineandevents.com, and follow them on social media.
