MADE by DWC Cafe & Gift Boutique

Los Angeles, United States

4.7

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 213-213-2881
Website:
www.downtownwomenscenter.org
Address:
438 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA, 90013
Downtown
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miMontebello
0.5 miLittle Tokyo/Arts District
0.6 miPershing Square
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
Free
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Good for Working
Yes

Today

Today 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Los Angeles) 21:45 Thursday, 28 November 2024

Business hours

Monday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

MADE by DWC is the Downtown Women’s Center’s Café and Gift Boutique offering organic coffee and tea, fresh fare, and unique gifts and accessories, including handmade products created by the women of DWC. MADE by DWC also provides on-​the-​job training and earned income opportunities for homeless and low-​income women in the Skid Row community.

We partner with local companies, Groundwork, Loose Leaf, and Homeboy Bakery for our food and drink offerings.

One hundred percent of proceeds from MADE by DWC go directly to programs and services for homeless and low-​income women at the Downtown Women’s Center.

History

Established in 2010.

One of the innovative strategies of MADE by DWC is its collaboration with local, Los Angeles-​based business partners. Coffee and tea are provided by groundwork, a local company that is dedicated to quality, environmental sustainability and social responsibility. MADE by DWC also is fortunate to partner with retail industry leader, Bloomingdale’s, and nonprofit design visionary, Project H, for expert retail and product development support and guidance.

Meet the Business Owner

MADE D.

Business Owner

MADE by DWC works to empower homeless and low-​income women to overcome barriers to traditional and non-​traditional employment, cultivate local and sustainable product design and creation, and build community in downtown Los Angeles.

MADE by DWC was created to help break the cycle of poverty by helping low-​income and homeless women discover their talents and develop their skills through job training and product development opportunities. One hundred percent of proceeds go directly to supporting programs and services at the Downtown Women’s Center.

MADE by DWC Café & Gift Boutique also recommends

MADE by DWC Resale Boutique

7

reviews

Thrift Stores

,

Jewelry

,

Used, Vintage & Consignment

MADE D. says,

«MADE by DWC is the Downtown Women’s Center Resale Boutique offering vintage & contemporary women’s clothing, shoes, accessories, & household accents.»

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20 reviews of MADE by DWC Cafe & Gift Boutique

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Palm Springs, CA
It would behoove DWC to hire a store Manager who knows more about the Company than giving attitude & hanging up the phone. Gia. Nia (Supervisor of Charlotte). Tia. Then did not want to give her proper name. Lame.
Won’t be taking business there. Was going to refer a client. But no. Thank your Tia. She needs more training about what DWC & Made is all about.
All she could say to sound knowledgeable is: It’s a Social Enterprise… LoL
Sad.
Place rating: 5
Alhambra, CA
My son and daughter in law gave me a candle. .handmade by DWC… This candle is really nice. It burns clean, it liquifies so there is no wasted wax stuck on the sides of the jar. It smells so good. It is so simple and well made. I just looked it up. on the website, it is worth the $ 20. It may seem like alot but it is a very good candle.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Such an awesome way of giving back to this community. Absolutely love this place. Excellent service and reasonably priced along with great taste with a variety of choices.
Place rating: 4
Arcadia, CA
where its located feels abit scary but interior and exterior is really nice.
The vanilla latte was delicious but the 3 drinks ordered, only one was correct and we had to have her re-​make it.
They were nice about it and the latte was delicious!
Place rating: 5
Pasadena, CA
even thogh here is in skid row, inside is total different world.
coffee is cheaper than other places, tasted good!
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
I visited this cute gift shop after my volunteer orientation at the Downtown Women’s Center. It’s in Skid Row so the place might be a turn off for some but I urge you to check this place out at least once. They have handcrafted items such as soaps, notebooks, jewelries, candles. all made by the women of DWC. They are reasonably priced too! If you’re not into buying these kinds of stuff, they have a café inside. I recommend their iced blended mocha!
Check them out and know that every dollar you spend here will help end homelessness in LA!
*Parking might be a problem but the DWC has a parking lot adjacent to their building, you can park there for free while visiting the store.
Place rating: 4
East Los Angeles, CA
Cute unique coffee shop that sells handmade accessories, cups, coasters, earings, necklaces, decorations.
First come first serve salads from Simply Salad and pastries and cookies from Homeboy Bakery. love that all cookies are $ 1 on Thursdays!
10% off on anything if you check in on facebook or Unilocal.
Drinks are good. Depends what you get, don’t get fancy. keep it simple.
Fruit smoothies are not made with real fruit. just FYI.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Friendly service and delicious coffee ! The gifts are really cute and well priced. Parking is easy in the lot at the DWC.
Place rating: 5
Paramount, CA
A truly FANTASTIC shop with wonderful products for a worthy cause! The store is clean, the products are either brand new (hand made by women participating in their programs) or gently used. Please trust when I say *gently* that it is accurate. I could not tell that anything had ever even been tried on before. The store includes soaps, jewelry, clothing, shoes, candles, journals, chachkis, wonderful ethnic garments, and so much more. And all for such a wonderful cause! Please don’t hesitate to visit and spend some money!!!
Place rating: 5
El Monte, CA
Truly a hidden gem in Skid Row. Great tasting tea, coffee, cookies, & wraps. The price is reasonable. Most things are made from the women who the nonprofit services.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
This place rules. It is a beautiful and comfortable place to get amazing coffee drinks, chai, tea, and pastries.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
MADE by DWC is located by San Pedro and 5th Street at the storefront at the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC). MADE is a social enterprise and its profits go directly back to Downtown Women’s Center, an organization that assists and brings hope to homeless and low-​income women. You wouldn’t find this cute, little café and gift boutique unless you were looking for it, walking south of Little Tokyo and towards Skid Row.
The café serves Groundwork coffee; sandwiches, wraps, salads, and sides from Loose Leaf; and pastries from Homeboy Bakery. At some point, they got their cookies from Loose Leaf, and they’re good and still serve them, and fairly recently they began making and selling cookies made at their own kitchen. This is where I go for a quick lunch. Here’s a tip: go for the day-​old food and/​or pastries since they’re 30% off.
For the boutique, it’s a great place to get unique, hand-​crafted recycled and re-​purposed gifts, their handMADE product line, such as soaps, candles, journals, hand-​made greeting cards, ornaments, pouches, etc. handMADE is a collaboration between DWC participants, staff, and community artists. I bought several items from the boutique and they were nice.
MADE by DWC also provides on-​the-​job training, earned income opportunities, and product development workshops for homeless and low-​income women in the Skid Row community. MADE equips women with social and vocational skills in a supportive environment where women rebuild self-​esteem, discover talents, develop skills. Other than the social enterprise aspect, it’s a pretty solid business worth checking out and if you’re a downtown local, worth getting your coffee, snacks/​lunch or gifts.
Place rating: 5
South El Monte, CA
Great hidden gem in Skid Row!
Their prices are a little high, but knowing that the money is going into DWC, makes the purchases a little easier.
I LOVE their dirty chai latte’s, the BEST I have ever had! (Yes, even better than Starbucks!)
I have also had their holiday drinks, which I find fun and super tasty!
If you are volunteering any where around Skid Row, I think it’s a must to stop by, take a look around, and leave with a drink!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
As I was walking towards Skid row in search of self medication, I passed this place and remembered I needed to buy a dear co-​worker a goodbye gift. Items might be a bit pricey, but since all proceeds go to Downtown Women’s Center, it is alllll good! I’ll try the coffee and sandwiches next time I make my way around this place.
Place rating: 5
Hacienda Heights, CA
I can only give my rating off the one item I got: the mocha. I’m not a big coffee fan but decided to check this place out.
The mocha is sweet and I LOVE IT. cost me three bucks for a small. $ 3.30 but check in to Unilocal and you get a discount. So my total was 2.97.
Maybe ill come back for the sandwiches one day, but not sure if 7 something for a sandwich is worth it for me. You can get 30% off it if you come in from 3−4… So we’ll see.
Parking is street meter parking I believe.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Thanks again Unilocalers. This was a 5-​star experience, just as you said.
The store had unique jewelry, a variety of clothes and shoes, and a nice assortment of novelty items. I bought a fragrant soap bar and candle — these were not cheap, but neither is the quality — and I look forward to future opportunities to buy again as gifts.
Also, everything was displayed thoughtfully and beautifully. Oh, and the store clerk was extremely friendly too.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
If you hit their gift shop you have to get some coffee.
The staff is friendly plus they have good coffee and a frequent user card :)
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
MADE has hands-​down the best dirty chai in Los Angeles. No one makes it like Luke. I will drive from Venice to DTLA to get their coffee on a Saturday.
Crafts made by DWC residents are great for gifts and all proceeds benefit the center. MADE is also partnered with Homeboy Enterprises, who provide the delicious food.
Worth a visit for all Angelenos!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Really neat place! Coffee and tea are all great, as are the snacks and salads they sell. While you wait for your meal or drink you can browse a variety of items made by the women of the Downtown Women’s Center (who are paid for their efforts).
Great food and great organization to support.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
A surprising treat near skid row and Little Tokyo in downtown L.A. It’s worth the trek!
STORE: Beautifully merchandised featuring 1⁄3 gifts made by the homeless women’s center, 1⁄3 donations and vintage, and 1⁄3 new goods. My friend found a sequin clutch for $ 10! Everything is very reasonable and affordable, and all proceeds support DWC.
CAFE: Stylishly displayed food in the pastry case. I was surprised there was lunch items. They have sandwiches, cold salads, etc. (around $ 7) I plan to come back on a Saturday for lunch. I just had an Americano; The espresso was smooth and nutty with little acidity. Excellent! I’m definitely making this a regular meeting spot and it’s good to know it is providing support to get local women off the streets.