Meet Katty Rakfeldt | Owner / Adrian’s Place Santa Monica

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katty Rakfeldt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katty, how does your business help the community?
My husband and I have been owners of businesses since 2007. Once you get used to having your own business, making the decisions, deciding the next steps, it really becomes the default method to proceed. Adrian’s Place Santa Monica, which we opened in 2021 in the middle of COVID, is a Social Service Center focused on creating strong peer-to-peer bonds with teenagers and young adults, their families, and caregivers. The inspiration for this comes from our son Adrian who has cerebral Palsy. He is 18 now and over the last 5 years it became obvious that there were few organic opportunities needed for him to make friends outside of school. But to find solutions, we turned back to what we know, and that is to create a new business entity to fill the gap. Other options existed, but none of them would allow us to maintain our hands-on approach to solving issues.

Adrian’s Place is a community hub for those individuals, families and caregivers with special needs. This entire community needs opportunities to talk, share thoughts, learn and grow from each other. Our hope is that our business can touch the lives of many people and make a tangible different in their lives. We are just one part of the solution, but this is the area we want to focus on. In additional to our many recreational and therapy programs at Adrian’s Place,
Growing Side by Side Foundation, which we founded last year, offers the Teen Social club that supports Peer interaction and monthly workshops supporting the Latino families. As we evolve, we will continue to develop new programing and resources for the community.

I am now approached from time to time from other people who may want to start an entity like ours in their community. If we can provide some guidance, maybe other social service type centers will open, and many lives can be touched.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am from Peru and my family has always been small business owners, primarily in agriculture. We had some very good times, but also some very hard times. But through it all, I understood, even as a teenager, the rewards and risks of running your business. So, when my husband and I first discussed taking over an existing business in 2007, I didn’t question the concept. I wasn’t scared, really. It was more about making the right choice. There will be good times, and not so good times. But if we focus and work hard, we could gain control of our lives and in the process, and perhaps build a successful company.

And the success of that company has helped us launch Adrian’s Place Santa Monica which we open in 2021. But how we run it is a bit different than most other social service entities as it is based on entrepreneurship. Given my background, I tend to believe that the best results will come from those who feel empowered to run their own business. So, our model is to support our service providers to grow their business using our facility and the infrastructure. We try not to directly run many programs. Instead, we seek out those who want to run such a program or wish to grow their program by using our facility.

This has so far proven successful. We work with great service providers. We have built a community. And I can maintain a bit more balance in my life and focus what I am best at.

Adrian’s Place is both a business and a passion. It is about my family and the community. And while it may sound cliché, seeing the joy on the faces of people who come to our center makes the hard work so much more rewarding.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have lived on the Westside since I moved here in 2000, so that would be the core of our sightseeing. Of course, I would first show them Adrian’s Place and talk about all of my plans. I would probably have Adrian do the tour and talk about the things he does when at the center with his friends.

There would be some walking on the beach and local hiking in the Santa Monica mountains, And while we would visit some of the nice restaurants in the area, it would be more important to have dinner at our home with the family. We can fully relax and be comfortable.

And then, I would sneak off to Ojai to the spa for a couple of nights. That is my favorite place to visit, be pampered and unwind.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband Jerry Rakfeldt and the support of my kids Adrian & Sofia.

Website: https://www.adriansplacesm.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriansplacesm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriansplacesm