In the heart of the Pacific Palisades, an entrepreneur from New York had one vision in mind — building a community in a new city.

Elyse Walker opened her boutique in 1999 in the Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood known for its small business district. Walker saw an opportunity to provide a clothing store in the Palisades so residents wouldn’t need to drive to more commercialized areas, such as Beverly Hills. 

The Palisades Fire began the morning of Jan. 7, caused by dry conditions and strong winds. Archer was evacuated at 12:45 p.m. that day, and students remained off campus until Jan. 20. The fire grew to 23,448 acres and destroyed more than 16,000 structures — two being Elyse Walker stores in the Palisades Village,  including their flagship store.

There are various Elyse Walker locations besides the Palisades, such as Calabasas and Long Beach. Lauren Johnston is the assistant manager of the Elyse Walker Calabasas location. Johnston said Elyse Walker’s philosophy guided team members through the fires. 

“All of us, dealing with such a tragedy, we treated each other as family and as friends first and were there for each other, and then we took care of the business side of things,” Johnston said. “The primary focus was that family and friends come first — you have to have a foundation of these relationships before continuing.” 

Approximately 1,900 small businesses were affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires, and these businesses supported nearly 11,400 jobs.

Many Archer students took fire relief action by participating in uniform drives, doing community service and supporting impacted small businesses like Elyse Walker. Junior Sara Salehi was a frequent customer at The Yogurt Shoppe and Toppings, both businesses run by her family friends. Salehi said she is more committed than ever to supporting the remaining store in Brentwood after the fires. 

“They own two iconic dessert shops in the Palisades, and both burned in the Palisades, so now there is only one shop,” Salehi said. “It’s in Brentwood, across the street from Archer, and that’s where I get my ice cream — now, I don’t go to the servery, and I don’t get ice cream anywhere else. I try to only go to the Yogurt Shoppe to support them in rebuilding the stores and helping them financially.” 

Junior Alex Lafitte lives in the Palisades and was displaced from her home for three weeks. She and her family continue to adjust to life after the fires. Small businesses throughout the Palisades, specifically those in The Village, were a hub for connecting with people in her community, she said. 

“I would go to The Village almost every weekend — It was definitely a place where I would hang out with all my friends,” Lafitte said. “You would go there to pick something up at Sephora and see 20 people you know, which is sometimes scary, but also a great experience — I don’t think I would have met as many people if I didn’t live there.” 

According to the World Health Organization, most people affected by emergencies “will experience psychological distress,” which will eventually improve for most. Johnston prioritized maintaining her mental health immediately after the Palisades location was affected. 

“For me, personally, having to manage my mental health space from the trauma that we all experienced losing our second home, and then also being here for the business and being here for my associates, and making sure I stay positive, even though it was really challenging,” Johnson said. “That was mainly how I was impacted.” 

Many small businesses will never rebuild, and others struggle to find resources to do so. Despite these statistics, Lafitte said the Palisades community is loyal to local businesses, and continues to support the rebuilding process. 

“One of my favorite small businesses in The Village called PaliSkates is a small family run-brand, and they have a bunch of donation sites to help rebuild — it was definitely heartbreaking when they burned down,” Lafitte said. “There’s also Café Vida, and [the owner] definitely wants to rebuild — [this business] has been his whole life.” 

Salehi echoed this, saying the owners of The Yogurt Shoppe are seeking out a way forward after losing the Palisades location.

“Now, they’re looking at new locations, and trying to figure out what to do,” Salehi said. “They lost their main source of income during the fires.” 

Johnston agreed that local costumers have remained loyal to their business and continue to support Elyse Walker and it’s stylists despite their diverse circumstances. 

“A lot of our customers were in the Palisades, since it was a community store which started 25 years ago — all of our customers were really just in Palisades, and the majority of our customers were impacted,” Johnston said. “Many of them are moving down towards [Elyse Walker locations in] Newport, Laguna and Orange County, and many of them are moving towards Calabasas and the Valley, and it’s easier for them to shop there — they’ve honestly been going anywhere because that’s where their stylists are, and that’s who they want to be with.” 

Most members of the Elyse Walker team are women. About 40% of all businesses in the country are small businesses run by women, ultimately becoming a “driving force of the economy.” This dynamic influenced how Johnston and other associates adapted after a crisis, she said. 

“As women, and as a woman-founded business, Elyse was very personable and made sure we were taken care of and spoke to us all the time and met with us consistently,” Johnston said. “Having that female comfort, like a mother to all of us, was very important.”

It’s expected to take at least 16.5 years for a “full, physical and economic” recovery of the Palisades. Throughout rebuilding, Johnston stressed the importance of allowing business owners and others to share their stories.

“Everyone’s going to have their own feelings and their own experiences,” Johnston said. “Everyone has their own needs and own desires, and those may be different than other people — some people have kids, some people have dogs, some people have a shorter commute, a longer commute  — I think, with all of that, the most important thing is that every person has their own story.”

This story was originally published on The Oracle on March 6, 2025.