Back in Business

8 April 2025

Volunteers Helping Altadena's Business Community Recover

Altadena, CA — April 7, 2025 — The Altadena Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce Back in Business, a volunteer-powered initiative aimed at helping Altadena businesses recover after the Eaton Fire. This program is designed to streamline and coordinate relocation efforts, rebuild the local business community, and foster long-term economic sustainability—all driven by an army of dedicated volunteers.


Neighbors Supporting Neighbors

At the heart of Back in Business is its volunteer outreach program, where trained local volunteers reach out to connect directly with all impacted businesses—both for-profit and non-profit-- and provide personalized support. Volunteers:

  • Offer free one-on-one assistance to assess the needs of business owners who have lost their facilities or customers, or both, and, in some cases, also their homes.

·        Listen and respond to needs of business owners coping with disaster-related trauma.

  • Build lasting relationships among neighbors aimed at reconnecting businesses with their client base.
  • Identify potential workspaces and match displaced businesses with relocation opportunities.
  • Provide businesses with guidance on permits, tenant improvements, and funding resources.

With County and Chamber personnel stretched thin, Back in Business fills the gap by mobilizing community members who are eager to support struggling businesses and restore Altadena’s economic landscape.


How the Program Works

The initiative is structured around two core efforts: Outreach Volunteers and Space Identification.

  1. Outreach Volunteers: Back in Business recruits, trains, and deploys pro-active volunteers to help local businesses navigate the recovery process. Volunteers assess business needs through a structured questionnaire and connect them with the program’s legal, real estate, and architectural experts for pro bono assistance.
  2. Finding Available Spaces: A dedicated team of commercial realtors and planners work to locate affordable, viable spaces for displaced businesses. This includes developing a database of available properties, conducting walkabouts to identify underutilized spaces, and exploring financial incentives and subsidies to make leasing more accessible.


A Grassroots Effort Built on Collaboration

Led by Pasadena Planning Commissioner Julianna Delgado through the backing of Councilmember Rick Cole, a grassroots Task Force launched Back in Business with the Altadena Chamber of Commerce as a direct response to the mass disruption caused by the Eaton Fire. The initiative builds on prior outreach efforts from Pasadena’s North Lake Specific Plan Area Update and relies on a select working group of professionals—including local attorneys, planners, architects, and real estate experts with close ties to Altadena. “Businesses are an essential part of a community,” says Delgado, an urban planner with disaster recovery experience. “Their return—through compassion, commitment, and cooperation--- is at the very core of successful rebuilding.”


Back in Business, a member of the Eaton Fire Collaborative, has partnered with the LA County Dept. of Economic Opportunity, the City of Pasadena’s Dept. of Economic Development, the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, neighborhood associations, and local service and professional organizations to ensure businesses receive the support they need. Additionally, plans are underway to establish a Mercado-type community gathering space to foster micro-businesses and pop-up enterprises.


Join the Effort to Rebuild Altadena


The Back in Business initiative thrives on community support. Residents are encouraged to volunteer, offer relocation assistance, and share resources to help Altadena businesses return stronger than ever.


For more information, to get involved, or to offer available space contact:
Julianna Delgado, PhD, FAICP, “
Back in Business” Program Director, [email protected], 626-354-8797

Judy Matthews, President, Altadena Chamber of Commerce, https://www.altadenachamber.org, 626-794-3988


25 April 2026
Reposted from Pasadena Star-News By Anissa Rivera | [email protected] PUBLISHED: April 21, 2026 at 6:26 PM PDT Most Altadenans have a Webster’s story. On April 25, more will be told when the iconic town business celebrates its 100th anniversary with a community-wide event from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, at 2333 Lake Ave., Altadena. Webster’s Community Pharmacy was founded in 1926 and has remained an independently-owned business known for personalized care and deep local roots. Both its original site and current storefront survived the Eaton fire in 2025, and the anniversary celebration is designed not only to honor Webster’s centennial, but also to bring neighbors together to reaffirm the strength and resilience of Altadena, owners Meredith and Michael Miller said. Set to help celebrate: Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena; Nic Arnzen, chair of the Altadena Town Council; Judy Matthews, president of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce; Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Victoria Knapp, past town council president who grew up with the business, will emcee. The Millers, who took over Webster’s in 2010, have long supported local artists, and among those set to appear at the anniversary party are Austin Scott, Colleen Boye, and the creators behind Altadena Candle Company, Manyana’s Body Butter, Heart & Sol, and A-Frame Pottery. Other artists they support include Victor Ving of Greetings Tour, Keni Arts, Heather Morrow and author Mary Lea Carroll. Musicians run lunch, Mo + Sully, and Rhythms of the Village will perform. Pasadena Humane will bring their mobile adoption center too, joining Altadena Library’s Curiosity Connection, which brings hands-on activities for children. Local Altadena favorites will also offer food and drinks for sale, including El Patron, Nancy’s Greek Café, Miya on Lake, Café de Leche, Grocery Outlet and Altadena Cookie Co. The anniversary event is free and open to the public. “This centennial celebration has turned into something much bigger more than a year after the Eaton fire,” Meredith Miller said. “It’s now our priority to not only celebrate the pharmacy’s legacy, but to bring the community joy and give Altadenans a reason to come together, since so many of us are still displaced.” Through the years, Webster’s was the go-to department store in town, where many teens got their first jobs and families went to shop for school supplies. The Webster’s on Lake, where the store relocated in 2024, pays tribute to the block-wide Webster’s of old, that still sits several hundred feet away, by curating gifts and seasonal items, nostalgic candy, books, and greeting cards. Miller calculates about three-quarters of her regular customers remain displaced, “but we are so touched when they make a special effort to come see us,” many on weekend trips to check on their lots. The store, and its seven employees, have served as touchstones and emotional support after the fires. Days after Jan. 7, they scrambled to fulfill prescriptions at nearby pharmacies. The store reopened on Feb. 17, 16 days after full containment of the fire. Since then, customers come in and update them on their lives, and share the gamut of their feelings about rebuilds and relocation. In turn, the Millers said they want to share one thing too: what has stayed the same about Webster’s and what will never change. “Our love for the community, the exceptional level of care we provide and the commitment we have to doing whatever we can do to help make people’s lives easier,” Meredith Miller said.
6 January 2026
SMALL BUSINESS POP-UP FAIR: RECOVER TOGETHER TO RECOGNIZE YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND OFFER DIRECT SERVICES TO IMPACTED SMALL BUSINESSES