Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Five Altadena Businesses Reopening With Major Fanfare On Saturday

“Rising Together” celebration at Mariposa Junction, frustrated by rain last weekend, all set for November 22

Five small businesses will celebrate their grand reopening on Saturday, November 22, marking one of Altadena’s first major community gatherings since the Eaton Fire.

The “Rising Together” celebration at Mariposa Junction, at 849 E. Mariposa Street in Altadena, represents a milestone for businesses that have continued when most did not. Nearly 1,900 small businesses within the fire burn zones were destroyed or displaced, supporting roughly 11,400 jobs. Economic losses from the fire reached $24 billion to $42 billion, according to early estimates from UCLA researchers.

Tyler Wells will officially cut the ribbon on Betsy’s Restaurant, which he reopened earlier on Friday, August 30, after renaming it for his mother. The restaurant had operated as Bernee for only 31 nights before the Eaton Fire exploded. Wells’ home burned to the ground, though his restaurant survived.

“Altadena always openly welcomed me, and I want to be part of the healing to help shape whatever comes next,” Wells said.

Caroline Britton’s Carciofi Design Paper Boutique & Studio, which specializes in luxury wedding invitations, also survived the fire. Her home did not.

“I’m shocked it made it,” Britton told media shortly after the fire erupted in January. “My house burned to the ground.”

The celebration will also mark the return of McGinty’s Gallery at the End of the World, a vintage clothing and antique shop that Ben McGinty has operated in various forms in Altadena since 2003. Sidecca, a retro fashion boutique, and Ms. Dragon Print & Copy, a neighborhood print shop operated by Debbie Collins for 34 years, round out the five businesses reopening at 2455 Lake Avenue.

The event, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., will feature ribbon-cutting ceremonies, live music, and complimentary food from Café de Leche, Amara Kitchen, and Altadena Cookie Co.

Artist Austin Scott will provide free sketches of attendees’ homes for the first 100 people. Scott created the “Altadena Forever” artwork and mural celebrating local businesses lost in the fire.

Three elected officials have confirmed attendance: Congressmember Judy Chu, State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, and Assemblymember John Harabedian.

The five businesses occupy buildings owned by Joey Galloway at Mariposa Junction. Galloway’s second building burned to the ground and will take at least three years to rebuild. Altadena Hardware, a 100-year-old anchor tenant in that building, employed 19 people before the fire.

“I’ve never had to deal with anything that was a total loss like this,” Galloway said. “So it’s kind of a learning curve for me.”

The celebration, postponed last weekend by an atmospheric river storm that threatened the burn scar with flooding, will be one of the first times the community has gathered for a major event since the disaster.

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce organized the event with Wells Fargo, which awarded $500,000 in grant support for recovery efforts.

Michelle Taylor, co-owner of Altadena Cookie Co., which opened in October reportedly as the first new business after the fire, captured the sentiment of Saturday’s celebration.

“This opening isn’t just about cookies, it’s about community,” Taylor said. “We wanted to create a space that brings people together again, especially after everything this neighborhood has gone through.”