COMMUNITY // open doors
Simples Tonics
Santa Monica
2724 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
310.314.7676; simplestonics.com
The Game Changer (Nettle). The Chill Pill (Oatstraw). The Hug
(Linden). The Superhero (Schisandra). The Fortifier (Dandelion Root).
The Star (Chickweed). The Purifier (Burdock Root). The Elevator
(Rose). These are the delicious herbal infusions available at the Simples
Tonics shop on Main Street in Santa Monica.
Simples Founder Traci Donat says, “These are in the category of
herbs that are nourishing and safe. They have tonic effects on the body;
they’re food as medicine.” Many of them—such as dandelion and
nettles—are even considered weeds, yet to call them weeds doesn’t do
them justice.
“I opened the shop because these plants are amazing. They’re so
readily available and so nourishing but people don’t know enough
about them,” Traci says. Tonic herbs have been part of her life for
years. “I feel that everything in my life has led to this point.” Traci
brings to Simples her study and love of herbalism, her experience grow-
ing and harvesting herbs, nurturing her family and friends through
tonics, and her background in marketing.
Traci’s passion for the practice is evident from the moment you walk
into the welcoming shop. The highly trained staff are experts when it
comes to explaining the array of tonics as well as the other nourishing
items on offer (including their own Simple Cider recipe for boosting
immunity).
Available in two sizes in glass bottles, the herbal tonics are served
cold and can be drunk as is, heated for tea, used as a broth in recipes,
or mixed for mocktails.By Felicia Tomasko, Editor in Chief at LA YOGA Magazine, editorial director of
Events Dot Yoga, and President at Bliss Network.Black Elephant Coffee
Atwater Village
3195 Glendale Blvd, Atwater Village
310.880.4859; blackelephantcoffee.com
“Support the community. Respect Nature. Drink good coffee. Join
the tribe.” This is the motto on the wall of the newly opened Black
Elephant Coffee in Atwater Village.
Black Elephant Coffee owners and married couple Heidy Fu and
Gonzalo Otarola are also the proprietors of Simply Coffee in Burbank.
They are both from Chile, where the coffee culture pervades every area
of life. According to Heidy, in South America family and friends spend
time talking and sharing over coffee. Infused with these values, their
coffee shops are meeting places for those searching to connect with
their tribe in a neighborhood spot.
This passion for a cup and a connection inspired Heidy and Gonzalo
to open a shop in Atwater Village. To explain what might seem like an
unusual name, Heidy tells the story of how Gonzalo felt the connection
to elephants in an ayahuasca-fueled vision during a ceremony with a
Peruvian shaman. “Elephants are community-driven animals always
looking out for the herd,” she says, “and they have astounding memo-
ries. This is what we want to create at the shop: life-long moments you
share with family and friends.”
In addition to locally roasted Stumptown Coffee, Black Elephant offers
loose-leaf organic teas. The all-organic food and snacks section features
grab-and-go items and pastries, including vegan and gluten-free choices.
In more community initiatives, Black Elephant Coffee has symboli-
cally adopted an elephant through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). In
addition, the shop offers free monthly community workshops on topics
such as nutrition, feng shui, painting, and more.By Felicia Tomasko, Editor in Chief at LA YOGA Magazine, editorial director of
Events Dot Yoga, and President at Bliss Network.