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When word got around that Los Angeles’ popular Porto’s Bakery was considering opening up a location in Bixby Knolls, it didn’t take long for residents’ love of the idea to catch the attention of the family that owns the fifty-year-old Cuban bakery and cafe. 

portos-logoIn fact, it only took 72 hours and 750 supportive emails for Long Beach’s active and engaged community to impress the Porto family’s decision makers. And though there remains no guarantee that the bakery’s famous pastries, cakes and sandwiches will end up in Long Beach, Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association’s Executive Director Blair Cohn says the family definitely got the message that they are wanted here.  

“It’s still down the road, there’s lots to think about,” said Cohn, “but the good news is that the letter-writing campaign really put the location on the radar to the family.”

In their quest to expand the brand beyond its three Los Angeles County locations (Glendale, Burbank and Downey), Porto’s has been looking at the former Ralph’s supermarket on the corner of Long Beach Blvd. and San Antonio Dr. along with several other sites in South Bay, Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Cohn says that factors such as freeway access, the nearby hospitals (and their hungry employees) and the rich Filipino community (which apparently jives well with Cuban sweets) are all working in Long Beach’s favor. Still, after a late-March meeting with members of the Porto family and their real estate agent, Cohn and 8th District Councilmember Al Austin decided to show the family just how serious residents were about wanting a Porto’s in town.  

They put out a call to action on social media: 

Interested in having Porto’s Bakery move into the former Ralphs location on Long Beach Boulevard? Please send an enthusiastic email to [email protected] and let’s make it happen. An email blitz may just do the trick. Spread the word!

Within a few days, Porto’s real estate agent Kirk Cartozian had received all sorts of encouraging emails–poems, long opus-length letters, short-and-sweet notes–each explaining why Long Beach is the right choice for the company’s fourth location. The campaign not only proved the support from the community, but it also showed that there’s a proactive approach from both the 8th District and BKBIA offices to fill the area’s empty storefronts with businesses that would positively impact the neighborhood. 

Porto’s’ final decision to open in Long Beach or not may still be a long way off, but the large outpouring in such a short span of time definitely put the city on the family’s radar.

“It says, ‘We’re serious about you and want you to be serious about us,'” Cohn said. “It puts more consideration onto us because of the outpouring of support which is great. We’re excited about the possibility.”

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