Community rallies around John Hopkins and his Altadena vegan café and grocery

For 35 years, the Oh Happy Day vegan café and grocery was a gathering spot in Altadena. The name was joyful—sanguine, even. As shoppers roamed the aisles for affordably priced nutritious food, organic groceries and supplements, they’d see owner John Hopkins, who was always there. They’d enjoy the community atmosphere as they dined on dishes like vegan lasagna with gluten-free noodles from the handmade menus that had stood the test of time.

The Eaton Fire flipped the script, making the name sound ironic.

Gone was Oh Happy Day, which had been a fixture on North Lake Avenue. Hopkins’ nearby home and two trucks were destroyed, too.

On the eve of the fire, Hopkins was sleeping at his store, a habit he started because he worked long days and didn’t want to commute home. He’d seen fire on the hills, but the wind wasn’t really blowing. Plus, he’d seen the hills on fire in the past, so he was concerned but didn’t feel threatened, he says.

There was a popping sound that turned out to be from cars on fire and aerosol cans inside them.

Hopkins woke and saw fire by the front door.

“So I got a bucket of water to extinguish them, and when I opened the door and stepped outside, I looked up and down the street. The whole place was on fire,” he says. He looked at the roof of the building and saw the flames. It was then that he realized everything would be lost.

“[The store] was my everything,” says Hopkins, who’s 78 years old. “I was working there so much. I did all my socializing there and my work and spent my recreational time. It gave me something to do.”

We learned about Hopkins through a GoFundMe crowdfunding page started by longtime customer Heather Lockie. When she asked him about starting the fundraiser, she remembers him saying, “You know, Honey, that would be so nice. But I honestly don’t know who’s going to be interested in donating to this.”

Hopkins, it seems, had no idea how many people loved him and his store, and how many people he impacted just by being open to listening and serving them, Lockie says.

Turns out, a lot of people.

“I mean, John’s incredible,” she says, ticking off a list of his positive traits. “He’s legit respectful of others who are different than he is.”

Lockie launched the fundraiser on January 11 because she felt bad for Hopkins, Altadena and vegans. The loss of Oh Happy Day means that shoppers looking for a vegan-only store have to travel to Besties Vegan Paradise in East Hollywood.

“I knew what it meant that his store was gone, for him and for the community,” she says. “I also really admire John. He has been a role model of how one might live one’s life within the context of a giant, potentially alienating urban sprawl such as the LA Basin.”

She hoped to raise $120,000. As of June, donations totaled nearly $107,000 and the fundraiser was still active. (The GoFundMe Team donated $300 as part of its Gives Back program.)

Hopkins hasn’t used the money yet. He’s waiting until he has more information about rebuilding his home.

HERE’S HOPKINS’ STORY

He’s living in Rialto with his sister and commuting into Pasadena to shepherd the FEMA-assistance paperwork. His home and store have been cleared of fire debris, so he’s starting the permit process with the building and safety department. Understandably, rebuilding his home is his first priority.

Since he doesn’t own the commercial building, his progress is tied to the property management company, which is “still fighting with the insurance companies.” Hopkins ideally wants to stay in Altadena. “There’s a shortage of storefronts now because so much of the commercial district was decimated by fire,” he says. “So it’s kind of a wait-and-see.”

When he runs into former customers at fire-related events, they encourage him to rebuild the business. Given his age, he’s thinking more along the lines of a cooperative restaurant, he says—meaning he would restart it, then step back so others could run it. People have expressed interest in the idea, he says.

When he started out, Hopkins wanted a location with off-street parking and a sit-down dining room that fostered community. And that’s what happened. “People just came in and socialized, and it became a community place along with the business.”

The community center he encouraged speaks volumes about the tight-knit fabric of Altadena and how Hopkins is beloved.

He’s a humble man—salt-of-the-earth, you could say. He’s not one to seek the spotlight, but with his passion for veganism and the community, combined with his resilience and determination, happy days surely will come again.

• To learn more about the GoFundMe fundraiser for Hopkins, click here.