Mi Havana Cigar Lounge opened with fanfare in February, touted as the most important cigar lounge in California (at 4,800 sq. toes), and in an unlikely location: not West Hollywood, not San Francisco, however Pomona.
“Our considering was, why not Pomona? Why not outdo Beverly Hills? We may provide one thing for the blue collar particular person,” co-owner Roy Kwon advised me just lately. Month-to-month subscriptions ranged from $35 a month as much as $250, a tier that gave entry to the expansive third ground lounge, named the (ooooh) Platinum Room.
Mi Havana was off to a powerful begin, signing up 400 subscribers and pulling in $40,000 a month in subscriptions alone, Kwon stated.
Then, in early Might, the cigar lounge went up in smoke.
Don’t blame a stogie. A homeless man was setting fires for enjoyable in trash cans round downtown Pomona within the wee hours, together with in a dumpster within the alley behind Mi Havana’s 261 S. Thomas St. constructing. Flames leaped 40 toes and entered a rear window on the third ground that was open for air flow functions.
Nobody was current, fortunately. The Platinum Room obtained so scorching, the ceiling tiles melted and home windows cracked.
The Hearth Division entered by chopping a gap within the roof. The fireplace was extinguished. However with hearth, smoke and water injury to the construction and its plumbing and electrical techniques, Mi Havana is closed indefinitely.
The outside seems to be unchanged however the inside wants an unknown quantity of labor. The town red-tagged the constructing on Might 5, the discover on the door studying “Unsafe to Occupy” because of “extreme hearth injury to construction.”
“Apparently this was the primary hearth they’d had in downtown Pomona that anybody within the Hearth Division may keep in mind,” Kwon stated ruefully. “The insurance coverage firm deemed it a $2 million loss.”
He’s coated for less than $500,000.
“I had no motive to burn that place, my goodness,” Kwon stated, shaking his head. “I used to be underinsured.”
A structural engineer has surveyed the injury with plans due this week to Kwon to put out what must be executed and what it's going to value. Kwon plans to forge forward it doesn't matter what.
So many individuals had doubted the enterprise, however in 84 days of operation, “we proved all people mistaken,” Kwon stated proudly.
“I’m going to rebuild regardless,” Kwon advised me, and laughed. “Now my ego’s concerned!”
A 40-year-old Korean American, Kwon grew up in Pomona, aside from a interval the place his mother and father despatched him to boarding faculty in Korea “as a result of I tousled so much right here,” he advised me. Again in Pomona, he buckled down and labored for his mother and father’ restaurant, Kwon’s, which that they had opened in 1983 on West Holt Avenue.
He flipped houses on the aspect to make sufficient cash to purchase the restaurant from them for $1 million in 2005.
In the meantime, the constructing on Thomas Road, inbuilt 1908, had sat empty since 1995. Its final tenant was a restaurant, Benvenuti, whose Reagan-era signal was nonetheless in place when Kwon checked out it as a doable new house for Kwon’s.
After months of getting the runaround from the proprietor, the Charles Co., Kwon stated he paid $750,000 for the constructing in money.
“No financial institution would finance it. It was not inhabitable,” Kwon stated.
A caretaker was residing on the positioning and claimed to haven't any information of the transaction. Earlier than escrow closed, “he demolished all the pieces,” Kwon stated. “I had purchased it with a full kitchen in there.”
Scratch the restaurant concept. Kwon preferred escaping to Mi Havana Cigar Home, a small lounge on Locust Road downtown. Proprietor Raul Reyner and Kwon fashioned a partnership to open a bigger lounge within the Benvenuti constructing.
The town’s Planning Division was amenable however uncertainty over how you can classify a cigar lounge and what air flow requirements wanted to be met delayed issues, as did COVID, Kwon advised me.
In February 2020 I wrote a column lamenting that a half-dozen downtown Pomona buildings have been rotting unoccupied, with Benvenuti being the main target. My timing was a little bit off: Kwon’s contractors have been simply resuming work.
One purpose for the delay: The primary contractor “ran off with my $100,000 deposit,” Kwon advised me. “That’s another excuse I ended. Man!” he stated, bursting into laughter. “I realized all the pieces on one venture!”
Throughout renovation, passersby would step inside if the door was open. Individuals have been curious. Some remembered Benvenuti. Others had by no means seen exercise there for a whole technology.
“Lastly, someone is doing one thing,” one man advised Kwon enthusiastically.
Apparently there had been exercise from time to time on the sly because the Arts Colony developed downtown. One artist advised Kwon that he and his mates would break in, hold their artwork and invite individuals in.
“Actually, 50 individuals would are available and present their artwork,” the person advised Kwon, who replied: “Please don’t try this anymore.”
Kwon additionally realized some household historical past. As a brand new immigrant, his father had painted the outside — and by no means been paid.
After an $800,000 renovation, the cigar lounge lastly opened on Feb. 12. I’m anti-smoking, however I wished to fulfill Kwon, so I launched myself and apologized for the awkward timing of my unique column. He agreed to be interviewed at no matter level I wished to do it.
In late July, I used to be close by to present a lunch discuss to a service membership and referred to as Kwon to ask if he had time to fulfill eventually. He stated he’d meet me on the lounge.
I went to 261 S. Thomas, noticed the crimson tag discover and reeled. That is how I realized of the fireplace and that the enterprise was closed. Kwon was ready for me on the Locust Road lounge, assuming that’s the place we have been assembly.
I defined sheepishly that I’d contacted him to observe up on my promise to write down about his rescue of the constructing. He waved away my concern and, earlier than launching into his saga, assured me: “That is going to be an excellent higher story for you.”
He wasn’t blowing smoke.
Briefly
The season finale of HBO’s “Westworld” Aug. 14 climaxed with scenes shot in downtown Pomona. Reader/TV viewer Lisa McPheron studies there was a “pretty post-apocalyptic struggle ’til the demise scene.” I’m hoping 261 S. Thomas St. was not concerned. It’s been by sufficient.
David Allen writes Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, three pre-apocalyptic columns. Electronic mail dallen@scng.com, telephone 909-483-9339, like davidallencolumnist on Fb and observe @davidallen909 on Twitter.