Topline:
Flask & Field, a downtown L.A. wine and spirits shop, has become a go-to for free natural-wine tastings.
Background: Former entertainment lawyer Miriam Yoo opened in 2018 and has gone through many reinventions. Yoo pivoted to an online storefront and a COVID-safe outdoor booth when foot traffic vanished early in the shutdown. She's since leaned into the fast-growing nonalcoholic category, expanding into de-alcoholized wines and botanical spirits as demand climbed.
This story first appeared on The LA Local.
Life’s all about taking risks, and sometimes a single bold choice can change everything. Just ask Miriam Yoo. Eight years ago, she traded her successful career as an entertainment lawyer to pursue her entrepreneurial dream and launch Flask & Field, a wine and spirits shop.
Since then, she’s never looked back. “It’s all of the things that a job could be and so many things that I could never have expected to experience,” Yoo told The LA Local.
Nearly a decade later, Flask & Field has become a downtown L.A. go-to destination for wine hangs, the point of the day where Yoo and her staff offer complimentary pours during select hours.
At Flask & Field, visitors are instantly transported into Yoo’s dreamscape of spirits, wines and nonalcoholic bottles with custom-made tags that are ever so thoughtfully detailed and creatively amusing. At every corner, you’ll find a selection of gifts like artisanal chocolates, specialty teas and mixology tools, as well as quirky finds like a pickle wine stopper or an olive hair clip.
For customers looking to shop and unwind late in the day, Yoo and her staff uncork two or three new bottles from Thursday to Friday between 4 and 6 p.m. She calls these “natural wine happy hours,” where they talk about the wines, share opinions and offer samples while chatting with customers.
On Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., the tasting events are more structured. Brand representatives and winemakers are there to answer customers’ questions about their products.
“It gives our partners a chance to sort of communicate directly with our customers, introduce themselves, tell them about their brand and their business,” Yoo said.
Best of all, tastings are free and include discounts on featured wines.
Flask & Field
Where: ROW DTLA, 767 S Alameda St #180, Los Angeles
Ultimately, Yoo’s goal was not just to open a wine and spirits shop but to create a space for people to hang out, chat and feel a little bit of a respite.
“It’s super rewarding,” Yoo said, “because ultimately, you’re selling things that help people enjoy their lives or gather with their friends and family.”
Yoo worked as an entertainment lawyer for nine years while she fantasized about opening a place like Flask & Field.
Yoo would picture herself in an adorable, rom-com-type scenario: a solo shopkeeper in a perfectly curated wine shop, greeting regulars with a smile and savoring whimsical moments.
In 2018, Yoo’s dream of opening her own brick-and-mortar shop had finally become a reality, but it wasn’t a rom-com. It was actually a lot of hard work, she said. She had to struggle to stay afloat especially during the early days of the pandemic. But that rough time forced her to constantly evolve.
During the shutdown, for example, Yoo and her team pivoted to having an online storefront; sales skyrocketed. In-person foot traffic halted, but they found a way to meet new and regular customers by setting up a small, COVID-safe booth, so there was still a shopping presence for those visiting Flask & Field.
That spirit of constant evolution is still part of the way Yoo does business. To keep up with the latest in craft beers, mezcals, soju, whiskey, wines and more, Yoo and her team set up meetings with buyers to collaborate, organize weekly tastings and forge relationships with small businesses.
They regularly use Instagram to post about alcoholic drinks and non-spirits, as well as flyers. Currently, they are creating social media videos where they show off new bottles, give insight into where they come from and share their honest reviews.
“Knowledge is the currency. We want to just know everything that’s out there and how it’s tasting this season,” Yoo said.
Part of that currency is getting to know their customers, especially their views on certain brands.
“Something that we noticed was that the younger generation, in general, cares more about farming practices, labor practices and price point. That’s also very important,” she said.
In 2021, Yoo saw growing interest in alcohol-free beers and wines, as more people traded hangovers for deliciously vibrant zero-proof crafted beverages as a healthy alternative. As demand grew, Yoo embraced innovation and expanded her selection to include botanical spirits and de-alcoholized wines.
“The brands have done such a good job being creative, and the products now are so much better than they were in 2021,” Yoo said.
Research group Circana found that in the first half of the year, adult-only households made up 55% of toy sales and are driving industry growth.
“ Families were flush with cash…and they weren't going out, so they started reconnecting with the things they were interested in," Zahn said during a conversation on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show.
They also got into:
Listen: to the full conversation above to learn more about adults' renewed love for toys.
Topline:
More than 465 Orange County workers from the Teamsters Local 952 walked off the job early this morning. Union officials said the strike is expected to cause delays to road and flood channel maintenance, landfill operations and other public services.
What we know: The union members are from OC Public Works, OC Waste & Recycling, OC Community Resources and other county departments. They include heavy equipment operators, waste workers, custodial workers and more.
How did we get here? Union officials said they asked the county to begin bargaining in 2025 and claimed months went by with no “meaningful movement” until August. A county spokesperson said in a statement to LAist, “Our priority remains ensuring the continuity of essential public services for our residents. We have contingency plans in place to minimize service disruptions.”
What are workers saying? Eric Jimenez, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 952, said in a statement that workers’ efforts to bargain for an agreement were met with months of delays. “The county has forced our members to walk off the job to fight for the respect and fair contract they deserve,” Jimenez said. “We cannot allow the erosion of our public services because the county refuses to invest in the workers who provide them.”
Topline:
Duane “Keffe D” Davis is set to be sentenced Tuesday for orchestrating the murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, who was gunned down off the Las Vegas Strip over 30 years ago.
The verdict: Davis, 63, was convicted in August of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. He is the only person ever charged in the death of Shakur, whose popularity was peaking at age 25. Davis faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Shakur's death: On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up at a red light, and shots erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Duane “Keffe D” Davis is set to be sentenced Tuesday for orchestrating the murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, who was gunned down off the Las Vegas Strip over 30 years ago.
Davis, 63, was convicted in August of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. He is the only person ever charged in the death of Shakur, whose popularity was peaking at age 25. Davis faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On the night of Sept. 7, 1996, Shakur was in the passenger seat of a black BMW with music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up at a red light, and shots erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later, while Knight survived.
Shakur is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time and had a burgeoning film career as an actor at the time of his death. His legend has only grown since. His songs still resonate among fans with themes of hardship, love and Black struggles.
The killing went unsolved for years until Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips, gave interviews and published his role in the shooting in his 2019 tell-all memoir. He explained how Shakur and his entourage beat up Davis’ nephew hours before the shooting in Las Vegas. He said he sought retaliation, and that he was in the passenger seat of the Cadillac and passed the gun to the backseat, where shots were fired. Davis had spoken to detectives years before but avoided prosecution because of an agreement he made with law enforcement.
During the weekslong trial, prosecutors relied on Davis’ own statements he made to law enforcement and documentarians. They argued Davis orchestrated the shooting and provided the gun used in Shakur’s death, which was the result of a rivalry between the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru. Davis’ defense attorney pointed to a lack of physical evidence that connected his client to the 30-year-old crime, and he portrayed Davis as a liar who was trying to make money.
After nine days of hearing testimony in August, the jury deliberated for three hours before turning over the guilty verdict. Davis said in court that he plans to appeal.
Shakur’s family is expected to speak at the sentencing, including his siblings Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur and Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur.
Following the verdict, prosecutor Binu Palal said that to many people, Shakur was an icon or an idea, “but to the family, Tupac Shakur was a brother, a son, a cousin, a loved person ripped from them 30 years ago.”
Palal said the family had to sit through years of Davis “bragging about killing someone they loved.”
“They loved that man. And the arrogance that Mr. Davis had in expressing his joy in killing that man ultimately was his undoing,” Palal said.
Davis is the only person to be charged and convicted in the killing of Shakur. The three other people who allegedly were in the Cadillac — including Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson who Davis said was the one who pulled the trigger — have died.
Sean “Diddy” Combs and his alleged role were brought up often throughout the trial. Witnesses testified Combs used members of the South Side Compton Crips for security for Bad Boy Records. In his book and public statements, Davis alleged Combs offered him money to kill Shakur and Knight. Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence after being convicted of prostitution-related offenses, has repeatedly denied any involvement in the death of Shakur.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said his office doesn’t believe it has sufficient evidence to charge anyone else.
“But like any other case, if we come into more information, more evidence, we can always consider filing additional charges,” he said following the guilty verdict. “But today, we don’t believe that’s the appropriate move to make.”
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Following months of public safety issues and drug enforcement operations in MacArthur Park, business owners, faith leaders and community members will join a town hall meeting tonight on the future of the park. The event is open to the public.
Who's leading it? Hosted by the local nonprofit California Rising, the event aims to address safety and accessibility issues. L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and LAPD Rampart division leaders will also attend, according to spokespeople for their offices.
What will be discussed: Raul Claros from California Rising told LAist the town hall will be an opportunity for the community to weigh in. Claros ran for City Council to represent District 1, which includes the park, and was defeated in the June primary.
Topics will include:
Claros said California Rising will ask local officials to hear the community’s input and meet with stakeholders within 30 days after the town hall to discuss how they might put ideas into action.
When and where:
