A Long Beach café that was born out of tragedy has quickly become a space for healing and connection after its owner created it to honor his late girlfriend.
Tommy Le created Reinne’s Place as an ode to his late girlfriend, Reinne Lim, who died in 2022 after a DUI driver traveling the wrong way on the freeway struck the couple head-on. Le survived the crash and knew he needed to pursue his shared dream with Lim in opening their own coffee shop.
“She was a girl’s girl, she was a free spirit,” Le said of Lim. “She loved living life and she loved just everything about it. And when she came into my life, I think it really brought so much light into my life.”
Right now, Reinne’s Place is operating as a pop-up at Open Gallery in Long Beach while construction for its brick-and-mortar location continues. Once it opens, Le said he’ll display something called a “Reinne check” to share the stories of love and grief from those who wish to participate.
“It’s a little card that looks like a guest check from diners, and people are able to write messages to loved ones,” Le said.
Describing it as a “platform for anyone to just get something off their chest,” Le said that so far, he’s collected hundreds of them.
“I think it’s something we all share as human beings: loss,” Le said. “I think my being able to build a space that empowers that and allows you to feel that is a beautiful thing.”
Those “Reinne checks” are expected to be displayed at the brick-and-mortar café later this month, Le said.