It was late September, and the liquidation process had begun at Ethikli. Slated to close October 31, founder Katy Impellizzeri realized she needed to move the date forward a week to fully vacate the premises by the end of the month. Prices were reduced 20%, then 30% in an effort to clear out all remaining inventory. Display tables were sold, shelves, storage bins, even a large freezer.
Hoping against hope, Impellizzeri gave interviews to local press and made social-media posts putting out the call to find potential investors or buyers. But one thing she hadn’t done was create a listing on BizBuySell, “the Internet’s Largest Business for Sale Marketplace.” She first heard of it earlier in the month, but the $300 cost — money she didn’t have to spare — put her off, what with the end being so nigh.
But a week or so later, Katie McRaven, who’s been part of the Ethikli team since last November, was discussing the imminent closure with a friend at the Norwalk Farmers Market. Overhearing the conversation was another friend, who suggested BizBuySell. Though pessimistic about the prospect, McRaven passed along the recommendation to Impellizzeri.
“With her bringing it up, I thought, ‘Eh, let me just give it a shot, [because] I’m going to kick myself if I let an opportunity go by to potentially have some kind of sale or investor,’” Impellizzeri relates. “So I bit the bullet.”
Within days Impellizzeri received a couple of inquiries, one of which was from Christina Peralta, a self-described “passionate ethical vegan” who lives mere blocks from Ethikli. Peralta’s boyfriend learned about the pending closure on social media, then brought the BizBuySell listing to Peralta’s attention.
“I remember when they first opened and being so excited and saying, ‘This is incredible! I can’t believe a store like this is opening here!’” Peralta says. “[…] I thought it was amazing that we now had this grocery store that was providing this fresh, healthy, clean food in an area where there weren’t many options. [… And] the lack of packaging, [along with] knowing where the food is coming from, really appealed to me.”
Although Peralta has no prior experience with business ownership, the opportunity was too good to pass up, and within two weeks the deal was done.
“For a very long time I had been wanting to do something other than my career in retail management, which was not very fulfilling for me, and this seemed like the perfect way to do something different that would serve a purpose and align with my values a little bit more,” she says. “[…] I saw a way to step in and keep the mission going. It just seemed like the universe was kind of putting this opportunity in my path.”
“It’s a beautiful story of a customer taking over the business,” Impellizzeri says. “[…] I’m thrilled that it’s staying open, because it was so heartbreaking to see all of the love and energy and time and passion that I put into it just disappear. So this is a dream come true. Obviously I wish I could stay in the area and run it, but I think finding somebody that shares our values and wants to keep it going — even keeping the name and whole mission intact — it’s kind of a best-case scenario.”
Peralta has no desire to completely cut ties with her predecessor. “It’s important to me that [Impellizzeri] still has some tie to the business that she created,” she says, a state of affairs that Impellizzeri confirms: “If nothing else, I’ll be continuing to support [Peralta], including updating the website (which I built), answering questions, etc., to help the business be a success, because it’s really important for me that the mission continues.”
Aside from no longer being open on Mondays, Peralta envisions no notable changes to Ethikli. This includes its status as an employee-owned concern. (Like Impellizzeri before her, Peralta has majority — rather than outright — ownership.) Minor changes on the horizon may include investing more in marketing and social media (the dearth of which Impellizzeri named as her biggest regret) and vending vegan wine.
Peralta also hopes the Long Beach city officials will take steps to increase foot traffic in the corridor between Pine Ave. and the East Village. “I think there’s definitely more that the City can do to foster more engagement in the area,” she says. “Fingerprints leaving [for Bixby Knolls] definitely was a big blow, [as] it was a big draw.”
Despite wishing she could stay in Southern California and continue to run Ethikli, Impellizzeri is gratified at the way the transition came about — and that even if Peralta hadn’t stepped up, it appears Ethikli would have remained open.
“We ended up having four or five other potential buyers contact us and one potential investor, so it seems like we would have found someone even if it hadn’t worked out with Christina,” she reports. “It solidifies the idea that people want what I built, and that it is making a difference. […] I really want the community to know how grateful I am for their support over the years — especially the last few weeks, for keeping us going long enough so we could find somebody else to keep the mission going. […] All the kind words and the love and support that [arose from word of the closing] definitely helped me get through the most challenging time. It’s super emotional, but in all the best ways. […] As difficult as it was — and is: I still worry about it every day — I would definitely do it again, because I think it’s very much needed right now.”
Ironically, the attention Ethikli garnered in regards to their formerly-pending closure may end up having a positive effect on business. Impellizzeri and McRaven note that online orders have increased over the last two months.
As if to make the point, a new customer stopped in the day I was in the shop gathering info for this article. “I came by here a couple of weeks ago and I saw the sign [saying Ethikli was closing], and I said, ‘Oh no!’” he told McRaven. “So I thought I’d come in here and give you a try.”
McRaven shares that regular customers are “elated” to hear that Ethikli will remain open, telling her, “‘I didn’t know what I was going to do without [Ethikli]’ or ‘I did know what I was going to do, but I didn’t like it.’”
Thankfully, we don’t have to find out. The mission — providing ethically-sourced, 100% vegan, cruelty-free, low-waste essentials at competitive prices while diverting consumer dollars away from oligarchic corporations and into small businesses with fair labor practices — continues.
Ethikli Sustainable Market is located at 352 E. 4th Street, Long Beach. Hours: Tuesday–Thursday noon to 6 p.m., Friday–Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Phone: (562) 614-3647.