Meet Alison Freed | Founder of Cherry Bomb Weho

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

Hi Alison, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process was- now is the time. I moved to LA in 2011. Since that time, I watched all the spaces geared towards women slowly disappear. I wanted to do something about it, and I looked into it about six years ago. At the time, the amount of money it would take to open a brick-and-mortar home base was overwhelming, so I kept working hard and knew I would come back to it some day.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit, I was walking on Santa Monica Blvd and seeing all the “For Lease” signs and I felt that the time was now. I got to work on a pitch, deck, and found an amazing commercial real estate partner who has become a friend, Jamie Rogers. We saw so many spaces, I got my first investor, and the road has been crazy, exciting, and sometimes incredibly frustrating.

Because of the complicated nature of what it takes to create a brick-and-mortar cafe / bar / restaurant- including alcohol permits, leases, low inventory on construction materials, city permits, and low staff during covid, landlord’s and crazy cost of real estate in prime West Hollywood locations, locking in the right space was harder than we ever imagined.

There was a huge need for the space we wanted to create, so we started having events and parties. We’ve had six so far, all in the main West Hollywood strip. The first one was in October 2021. Every party has been a huge success, and every one has gotten bigger and better. We celebrated the first weekend party for women and gender expansive people in over a DECADE. We’ve blown away all expectations in numbers and turnout.

June 3rd-June 5th, we are making history and having the first ever full weekend for women and gender expansive people during West Hollywood pride. This started as the desire to create a home base and safe space, and has grown to a bigger dream of having many different parts making up Cherry Bomb- physical space, events, shows. The goal is to uplift, inspire, and highlight queer women and gender expansive people in ALL areas ranging from music, art, TV/film, comedy, and anywhere else they shine while creating an inclusive, joyful space.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
It has been a very bumpy road, with so many ups and downs, and even a couple moments where I seriously considered giving up.

That said, every event has been a huge success, and every one has gotten bigger and better. We celebrated the first weekend party for women and gender expansive people in over a DECADE at Beaches Weho, and some staff members told us that our day / night was the busiest that he had ever seen that bar. We’ve done amazing numbers each and every party and really proved that there is such a need for this and for it to be done right.

What I’m most proud of is the heart and soul and vibe of what we have been able to create. When you look at pictures or videos from our events- you see every different race, every different style, every different gender identity. Everyone is having a blast, dancing, smiling, laughing. People are intermixing and it’s so joyful and sexy and fun. It’s inclusive. It’s the best vibes. I am so proud of that. It’s the way we want the world to be, and we are doing our best to create that.

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.
West Hollywood, obviously!!! Brunches, rooftops, hikes, shopping, music shows, comedy shows, even broadway shows!

LA is a wild ride, with truly beautiful and incredible areas.

I would highly recommend Griffith hikes behind the observatory.

I love brunch at Kings Road Cafe.

Rooftop pools, too.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh, man. I don’t know where to start because this would not be happening if not for SO many people. All my mentors, teachers, lovers, people that believed in me and people that didn’t. In regards to its current success, I have to shout out my team: Firstly, Shantilly Tuazon. Shantilly is the first ever Cherry Bomb Weho employee and they brought their heart and soul to Cherry Bomb. They are non binary, black, and asian. That is all so important, because from the start, it was imperative to be a home base and safe space for ALL queer women and non binary folks. West Hollywood has a history of being very white, and I wanted the space we created to be a home base and safe space for queer women and non binary folks of every race, style, and gender- all in the best vibes possible. So from the ground up, that’s the goal. DJ Kara plays the best music and keeps the vibe amazing each and every time. She’s a beautiful human and a beautiful friend. Kalea McNeill is our host, emcee, and hilarious comedian. It’s like all of these humans are a perfect puzzle piece to Cherry Bomb. Bonnie Schiffman, our choreographer, dancer, and head Cherry Bomb Bae- she brings all the sexy and puts together all the dancers, performances, and she’s also a huge part of Cherry Bomb. Every Cherry Bomb Bae dancer, Barb Mayo who believed in me from the start, Kate Orlando whose positive vibes and party planning and videos are everything, and Alexandria Reyes, who is the reason I moved to LA in the first place to chase all my dreams. But genuinely, every person has impacted me and is a part of this.

Website: www.cherrybombweho.com

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

Image Credits
@dancefitzii