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

Hi Oliver, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
my Business helps the queer community that goes beyond what I expected. Creating a queer bar/safe space comes with it challenges, but when you interact with the community and open up your doors for Events, other than the purpose of generating revenue, your impact goes further.

I am not an artist, I am not a performer, I’m not a musician but what I am is someone that loves all that they contribute so my contribution is space, access, and a channel to platform.

The amount of people that Thanked me for giving them an opportunity, a show, a night, or even just a day surprised me. I opened a queer bar, thinking it would be a means to an end , but it turned into a passion, A calling and a drive to give people opportunities that are not always given.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
KISO Los Angeles is my love letter to LA. My hope is that the roots grow and there are no boundaries.

Kiso is a place to celebrate you, a place to come for your birthday, a breakup, or reconnecting with your friends to make the moments that last forever.

It’s also a place that you could bring your passions and your community together. Our doors are always open to support you in more ways than just being your neighborhood gay Bar.

Yes! We love to celebrate and have a toast and a great night on the dance floor!

But we’re also here to support you in your independent film if you need a location, or your yoga class if you need a space. Or if you need to fundraise for your passions, we are here for that too.

I want the world to know that Kiso Los Angeles is for you

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
if my best friend’s in town, we would be staying at the proper in Dtla, would definitely have to go to courage bagels for breakfast, with a stroll around Echo Park. For lunch, we would actually go to the Grand Central market to ghost sandos . Would probably head back to the rooftop to jump in the pool, have a little disco nap after and head to majordomo for dinner. Then had to Precinct, KISO and New jalisco to do a little Fruitloop bar crawl in downtown.
The next day we jump on the metro and head to Santa Monica, so we can lay on the beach all day and recover. We will take it easy today and probably try to catch one of the outdoor concerts at Persian Square or the historic park. On Sunday, we would actually go hiking, but not to run in, we had head to El Sereno to ascot Hills .

I love La

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The obvious is my parents and family because without their support I would’ve never been able to get started. But I think there are so many people that have taught me valuable lessons along the way, from my high school teacher who you used to always tell us “ignorance it’s not a defense” or my older queer coworker, who pushed me to open a 401(k) and gave me confidence to think bigger, and all the friends who showed up along the way for my crazy ideas of opening up a gay bar, and starting a nonprofit, and continue to show up for all the crazy ideas I have.
Growth and success are measured by the opportunities that you take, not the outcome. Learning from every mis-step, challenging yourself with every unexpected opportunity and finding your way in a world that doesn’t have a clear path.

Website: https://kisolosangeles.com

Instagram: @kisodtla

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.