ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) — As the year comes to an end, some businesses in Altadena are facing another setback after a Christmas Eve storm brought heavy rain to Southern California.
The holiday storm was quite powerful, dumping more than a foot of rain in some mountain areas and even brought a rare tornado to Boyle Heights.
Sidecca, a boutique on Lake Avenue in Altadena, began seeing flooding while customers were inside. So instead of shopping, customers ended up becoming a clean-up crew for owner Adriana Molina.
“The amount of community that Altadena has is why we’re here,” she said. “I always get emotional. I can’t believe how many people love us.”
The customers swept water and even purchased towels, fans, dehumidifiers and trash bins. Molina’s boutique had just reopened last month after the Eaton Fire forced her to close.
The holiday storm also caused problems for Tyler Wells, the owner of BETSY restaurant located nearby.
“Honestly, I just sat for a minute and I thought, ‘Well, I guess we’ll figure it out,'” he said. “It’s Christmas Eve, we have a lot of people that want to have dinner here, there’s no chance that we’re not going to be open, so the whole team came together, everybody. Everyone came in early, the whole crew, squeegees all day.”
His team ended up fixing a leak and the restaurant was able to stay open. But that’s not the case for Molina – half her merchandise is ruined.
However, she’s determined to reopen early next year.
“We’ll be back,” she said.
Copyright © 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
