By Located in Cambodia Town in East Long Beach, Commodity has become the spot for monthly car meetups, beers and brews.
Alan Gomez is the owner of Commodity, a restaurant that serves a variety of beverages from alcoholic drinks to coffees such as Americanos, Expressos, Mochas, all of which are brewed from Onyx roasters.
There are also five dishes to order from, including a breakfast sandwich, breakfast burrito and chorizo tacos.
The restaurant opened in spring 2017 and shared the lease with Analog Records. When they first opened, the restaurant served different brews and food while waiting for the approval of their liquor license, Gomez said.
“We were forced to become a coffee shop while waiting for our alcohol license [when first opening],” he said. “Our main goal has always been alcohol.”
During the pandemic, Gomez said that the sales of alcohol saved their business. He expected his business to take a toll but said they were fortunate to see success.
Commodity serves a varietey of dishes and serves only Onyx cofee beans. Photo credit: Isaiah Zuniga
“If it wasn’t for alcohol, we’d be out of business,” he said. “People who went to bars, came here to buy cases of alcohol to drink at home.”
When opening the restaurant, Gomez also brought his love for cars to Coronado Avenue—a love shared by the other employees as well.
On the last Saturday of each month, Commodity hosts a car show called “All Makes Welcome,” where those with a love for cars can show up and display them. The car shows have continued throughout the pandemic.
“We get about 200 cars up and down the street,” Gomez said. “I hate when people with newer cars come by because it just shows that they spent a lot of money.”
Gomez added that he owns multiple older vehicles himself, such as a 1967 Karmann Ghia and a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle.
Customers that regularly visit Commodity often attend the “All Makes Welcome” event too. Summer Muse, a regular Commodity customer since it opened, said she enjoys visiting because “this place has the people, ambiance, and the car culture.”
Through the event, connections are made. Alan Dummett started working at Commodity two months ago after visiting “All Makes Matter” and meeting Gomez. He is now a chef at the restaurant.
Joey Espina also works with Gomez as the social media manager of Commodity and shares the lease on the building.
After the Analog Records Shop closed at the beginning of the pandemic, Espina moved into the space with his plant business called All Time Plants.
Espina used to sell his plants in front of Commodity, but once Analog Records moved out, Gomez offered Espina the opportunity to move the business inside.
“I didn’t want the space to be rented out to just anyone,” Gomez said.
Once Espina got settled into the building, he and Gomez redesigned the structure of the space and built a collaborative work environment.
“We wanted to go for something visually driven,” Espina said.
All Time Plants has a variety of plants of its half of the building. All Time Plants is run by photographer and Commodity social media manager Joey Espina. Photo credit: Isaiah Zuniga
Through this collaboration, Gomez and Espina tore down the wall that separated the former Analog Record Shop with Commodity. Now, All Time Plants and Commodity operate together.
For more information about events, and menu items, visit the Commodity website, at commoditylbc.com
