As interior designers, Sonia-Lynn Abenojar and Sergio Max Legon-Talmoni know what it takes to turn an idea into a reality.
“Our role as designers is taking the big idea from the client, any inspiration they have from aesthetics to function, and putting them into drawing form so the City can review and approve it. Then a contractor can take those drawings and build what we designed,” said Abenojar.
La Union began as a side project for founders Abenojar and Legon-Talmoni, who were working full-time after studying architecture and design in college. Friends and family started asking for their help with the design and permitting process, leading to their first official projects: Bahtoh in 2016 and later, Hood Famous Café and Bar.
“We would pick up projects on the side with friends and family, and that’s when we realized there was a big gap in the access to professional services,” said Abenojar. “We did one project and we were like, we can do this. We can keep going.”
So, they opened La Union Studio, with the mission to support local businesses and celebrate culture through design. A decade later, they operate out of a brick-and-mortar office in Mt. Baker that they are on the pathway to owning.
“Having that stability of 10 plus years down the road, we know this space is ours to stay in. We can grow into this space,” said Abenojar.
“It feels surreal to have a space that’s not just for us, but for our clients and for our community and network,” said Legon-Talmoni.
La Union is the first business to partner with our office and Grow America through the Business Community Ownership Fund. We launched this first-in-the-nation program in 2024 to address the challenges of small business displacement and rising rents in commercial spaces.
Before La Union had their own space, Abenojar and Legon-Talmoni were operating out of their home office. While it worked as they built their businesses, Abenojar says it made operations a bit more complicated.
“We’d always have to meet out of our client’s spaces. We’d lug our samples and our computers while trying to find space where we’re not interrupted,” said Abenojar.
When Mt. Baker Housing approached them with an opportunity to move into an office space through our BCO Fund, the duo were interested, especially since it allowed them to stay in Mt. Baker, the neighborhood they both grew up in.
“We weren’t even looking for an office space because we knew how difficult and expensive it would be to find something in our neighborhood,” said Abenojar.
“To have a program like the BCO Fund that can support and scaffold all of those resources for small businesses is a groundbreaking opportunity,” added Legon-Talmoni. “The ownership component goes a long way in easing a lot of the angst and the expense of operating a brick-and-mortar.”
They opened their commercial space in the spring of 2024 and enjoy being part of the business community on their block. They even noticed having a physical office space helped spread the word about their business.
“Before the storefront, it was a lot of referrals and word of mouth,” said Abenojar. “Now that we have a brick-and-mortar and can host people in the space, I think it has been a game changer for allowing us to show the community that we exist.”
Two years after opening their studio, the pair says it feels like an extension of their home. They designed the space to host events and pop-ups, wanting it to be part of their community.
“That’s a through line in our work because we’re always trying to find opportunities to celebrate identity, to celebrate the lifestyle and the culture aspects of our clients and their community,” said Legon-Talmoni. “We’re designing an environment where people feel seen and heard and connected to each other.”
“I feel really proud opening up the door every time we have guests or clients entering the space, because we put a lot of work into the design,” said Abenojar. “Not only that, but you can feel the sense of comfort and community when you enter the space. That’s what we were trying to design for.”
Our core purpose is leading projects and making investments that open up access to economic opportunities, reduce the racial wealth gap, and encourage innovation and growth. One area where we focus is the real estate continuum, from pop-ups, to sustaining and growing existing businesses, to models for asset ownership.
The BCO Fund, in partnership with Grow America, establishes real estate partnerships (LLCs) to acquire ground-level commercial properties in mixed-use buildings. Business owners can join the LLC, allowing them to secure the commercial space at below-market rates. This ensures stability with no future increases, resulting in the ability to save thousands of dollars a year.