Small Business Pop-Up Fair: Recover Together

6 January 2026

SMALL BUSINESS POP-UP FAIR: RECOVER TOGETHER TO RECOGNIZE YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND OFFER DIRECT SERVICES TO IMPACTED SMALL BUSINESSES 

The Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) invites media to attend the Small Business Pop-Up Fair: Recovering Together, a recovery-focused community event and marketplace marking one year since the January 2025 wildfires. This event is hosted by DEO in partnership with the LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, LA County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Altadena Chamber of Commerce and local partners.   

Attendees will have access to a wide range of on-site business service partners for 1:1 technical assistance and sign-up for recovery resources, including commercial permitting, new capital and grant programs, pro bono legal aid, financial subsidies for hiring youth and permanent staff, and more. Confirmed partners include DEO and County agencies like Public Works, Regional Planning, Treasurer Tax Collector, and Parks and community partners like Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, Pasadena City College’s Small Business Development Center and Women’s Business Center, Bet Tzedek, and ICON CDC.   

As part of the day’s activities, a Shop Local LA County Marketplace, presented in partnership with the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, will feature local small businesses and offer residents an opportunity to provide direct support to impacted businesses. 

WHEN:
Thursday, January 8, 2026
On-site services available 12:00 AM – 4:00 PM 

WHERE: Loma Alta Park - Gymnasium
3330 N Lincoln Ave, Altadena, CA 91001
 

Free parking located in front of and behind the gymnasium. Both parking lot entrances are off of Sunset Ridge Road. 

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES: 


  • Kelly LoBianco, Director, LA County Department of Economic Opportunity 
  • Office of LA County Board of Supervisor Kathryn Barger for the Fifth District
  • Participating agencies, organizations, and businesses in both resource fair and marketplace 

VISUALS: 


  • Local small businesses featured at the Shop Local LA County Marketplace 
  • Resource booths providing on-site services 
  • Videos showcasing impacted businesses participating in DEO’s LA Region Small Business Relief Fund and Shop Local LA County campaign 

MEDIA RSVP & INTERVIEW REQUESTS: Media interested in attending or interviewing County representatives and/or local organizations or businessowners contact [email protected]   

###

About DEO: The LA County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has a vision for a more equitable economy with thriving communities, inclusive and sustainable growth, and opportunity and mobility for all. The department, with its America’s Job Centers of California, Office of Small Business, and hundreds of programs and partners, creates quality jobs, helps small businesses and high-road employers start and grow, and builds vibrant communities and spaces. Stay connected with DEO! Follow @EconOppLA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, subscribe to our newsletter, or visit opportunity.lacounty.gov to learn about DEO services.  


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.