Jenna Cooper couldn’t sleep.
Like countless Angelenos bearing witness to the unprecedented wildfire devastation ravaging the city, Cooper, a veteran Compass real estate agent, found herself tossing and turning, sick with worry and feelings of hopelessness knowing so many across the city lost everything.
“I was nauseous and awake being just miles away from such wreckage. I kept thinking, what the hell can I do?” explained the Compass agent. “A client of ours lost their house and someone I work with was going to Target to buy essentials. People need stuff immediately and there are people who are willing to shop for them or to donate. Well, I have a space to make it happen.”
Cooper sprang into action by transforming her Beverly Boulevard boutique, a curated home goods store called +COOP, into a fire relief pop-up for those affected to come in and select items free of charge.
“It’s a big space and my office is upstairs so I cleaned out my store and made space [for donations]. My community has nice things so we’re basically giving the shirts off of our back,” Cooper said. “We set it up to feel like a curated space. The Red Cross is amazing, but this is a way we are taking care of the community in a way where they can feel comfortable and get way they need. Come in, take what you want or tell us what you need and we will find it.”
Cooper and her small team then found high-profile support thanks to Sharon Stone and Halle Berry, both of whom used their considerable platforms on Thursday to put out the call to action and service.
“Please come and shop if you were displaced from the fire,” posted Stone on Instagram to her four million followers, detailing the items currently in need like (gently used) jeans, jackets, clothes, shoes and gloves, new underwear and socks, and gift cards of all types.
“I’m packing up my entire closet and heading over to the COOP! If you live in the Southern California area, I urge you to do the same,” Berry shared with nine million followers. “This is something we can do right now today to help all of the displaced families that are in need of the basics today! Thank you Sharon Stone for your leadership. Love you Lady.”
Cooper relayed that she has history with Stone but Berry’s amplification came as a welcome surprise. The “immeasurable” support has been awe-inspiring, and the store was abuzz with activity all day, from teenagers to adults coming in to help out, drop stuff off or pick up a bag of goods for friends.
“We’re small and mighty,” said Cooper, who worked in the entertainment industry before pivoting to real estate. She also has history in neighborhoods like Pacific Palisades where she has many friends and has sold properties. “I wish I had more space, it could be an insane operation.” As of now, she’s planning on keeping doors open through Sunday but she’s remaining nimble and will adjust based on need and circumstances. “It’s a work in progress,” she noted.
Thus far, Cooper has been so moved not only by the swell of support but by the experiences of helping those who need it now. “One guy came in, and he just lost his house,” she said. “He was clearly still rattled and the only thing he took was a beach blanket and a pair of running shoes. He said he just wanted to go for a run on the beach because that’s what he used to do every day. People need their comfort, and literally that’s all I needed to hear. It made it worth it. So many need help but don’t know how to ask. These personal connections are so important. We want to say, ‘We’re here for you, we love you and we’re sorry.’ That’s what this is meant to be.”
Cooper added that she knows the pop-up “isn’t solving major problems” amid ongoing destruction but, “if we can make the next three days comfortable, that’s all we can do. I’m one person and I’m trying to focus in the best way I know how.”
For those who might find themselves feeling similarly hopeless like she was a few nights ago, she offered this advice: “Find a family and do whatever you have to do and get them whatever they need.”
Los Angeles has been ravaged by a series of destructive wildfires since Tuesday. The Eaton Fire close to Pasadena began Tuesday evening and has since torched more than 5,000 structures. In Pacific Palisades, the largest and most destructive in the city, has leveled more 5,300 structures and burned across 19,000 acres and counting. At least five deaths have been reported though officials caution more casualties are expected once authorities can investigate all of the affected areas.
Lastly, asked to describe the devastation and the emotional toll of the fires, Cooper was succinct. “There are no words. No words. Period, end of sentence.”
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