A Long Beach man has turned tragedy into an opportunity to create community by opening a coffee shop in honor of his late girlfriend, who was killed in a DUI crash three years ago.
The grand opening of Reinne's Place flagship store on Fourth Street in Long Beach is scheduled for early spring.
Reinne Lim and Tommy Le's love story began at a coffee shop in the summer of 2021. She was the smart one, studying to be a nurse and he was a part-time barista, dreaming of being an entrepreneur.
"I'm a college dropout, but Reinne always wanted me to pursue what made me happy," Le said.
At 22 years old, Lim and Le quickly became a couple, but in the morning hours of Oct. 2, 2022, a drunk driver going in the wrong direction on the 55 Freeway hit them head-on.
"She was with me for a couple of seconds, at best," Le said.
Lim died in her boyfriend's arms. Le had several broken bones and was in a medically induced coma for two weeks. His body surprisingly healed quickly, but his heart took much longer.
"She was everything to me," Le said.
Le remembers feeling grief, loss and survivor's guilt.
"I didn't want a sob story. I wanted to actually build something because it means a lot to me," Le said.
While he healed, Le created a business plan for Reinne's Place, a Filipino-Vietnamese-inspired coffee shop. For three years, he searched for a storefront, but no bank or landlord wanted to take a chance on a broke 23-year-old. But with the help of his friends, who launched a crowdfunding campaign, Le recently got the keys to 3902 East 4th Street, in Long Beach.
"Reinne was looking out for me, and she knew I was ready, and that time was finally here," Le said.
While it's under construction, Reinne's Place is temporarily at Open Gallery, just a few blocks away, but customers don't seem to mind the wait.
"We move a little bit slower here intentionally, because we want to actually get to know you. That's how I met Reinne," Le said.
Drinks are named after her and customers can even write what they call a "Reinne check," a short note to a loved one who has passed. Her family is in awe of the community's support.
"My sister loved being the center of attention, light in the room type of thing, and the fact that she's still doing that somehow is very telling of the person she was," said Jan Lim, Reinne's sister.
Le says this whole process has been slow but humbling and he's never felt alone, thanks to Reinne.
"It's been the most gratifying feeling to not only share this loss about Reinne with her, as she lives and breathes in this space, but the countless other people who have shared in that with me," Le said.
A coffee shop born out of loss is now a gathering place for healing, just with a shot of espresso.