Local Business Spotlight: The Boy & The Bear in Westport Heights

If you live in the Westport Heights pocket of Westchester, you already know the walk. Down the quiet, tree-lined blocks of post-war bungalows and onto La Tijera Boulevard, where The Boy & The Bear has turned a corner coffee stop into one of the best reasons to leave the house on a Saturday morning.

We're spotlighting them this week because they're exactly the kind of business that makes a neighborhood feel like a neighborhood: a place you can walk to, linger in, and walk home from with something good in your hands.

The Short Walk That Changes Your Morning

Westport Heights was built for this. The blocks are short, the sidewalks are wide enough for a stroller and a dog leash at the same time, and La Tijera Boulevard gives residents a straight, flat shot to the door. No parking search, no freeway on-ramp, no reason to get in the car. That's the quiet advantage of this pocket of Westchester: errands double as walks, and walks double as a coffee run.

The Boy & The Bear's White Store sits at 7403 La Tijera Blvd, and it's built to reward that walk. This isn't a grab-and-go counter with a line out the door. It's a calm, intentionally designed space, the kind you sit down in, not just pass through.

The Story Behind the Cup

The Boy & The Bear was started by Andrés, who came to Los Angeles in 2013 from Sweden with, as the story goes, a suitcase and a leased car, no roadmap, no plan B. He spent the next two years doing the unglamorous work: visiting cafes, studying roasting, learning the economics of what actually makes a coffee shop work, not just look good. That groundwork shows up in every detail today, from the direct relationships they've built with Colombian growers to the rotating single-origin series they roast in-house, including the Emerald Series, a small-batch collection of rare Colombian lots most home coffee drinkers never get access to.

It's a good reminder of something we believe about this neighborhood, too: the places that last are the ones built slowly, on purpose, by someone who cared about getting it right before they cared about getting big.

Coffee In, Coffee Home

Here's what makes The Boy & The Bear more than a stop on the walk: it's a two-way trip. Residents come for the espresso and stay for the space, then leave with a bag of beans for the counter at home. Their coffee subscription program is built around that same idea, fresh, seasonal roasts delivered so the cup you loved in the cafe shows up in your own kitchen. For a neighborhood full of people who host, who entertain, who take pride in a well-stocked counter, that's the kind of local business that becomes part of the routine, not just an occasional treat.

That's the throughline we look for in every spotlight: a business that gives you a reason to walk out your door, and a reason to bring a little bit of it back in.

Why This Matters to Us

We talk to buyers all the time who are looking for exactly this: not just square footage, but a five-minute walk to something worth walking to. Westport Heights delivers that in a way a lot of LA doesn't: real sidewalks, real neighbors, and a coffee shop worth building a Saturday around. If a walkable pocket like this is what you're looking for in your next home, we'd love to show you around, starting, maybe, with a cup at The Boy & The Bear.

See It for Yourself

The Boy & The Bear, White Store: 7403 La Tijera Blvd, Westchester, CA 90045

Open daily | Coffee subscriptions available | Beans and merchandise available in-store

For more on what makes this pocket of Westchester special, or to talk through what's on the market nearby, contact us. We're always happy to make the introduction, to the neighborhood and to the coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where is The Boy & The Bear's Westchester location?

The Boy & The Bear's White Store is located at 7403 La Tijera Blvd, Westchester, CA 90045, a short, flat walk from the Westport Heights pocket of the neighborhood.

Q: What makes The Boy & The Bear different from other coffee shops?

The Boy & The Bear was founded by Andrés, who spent two years studying specialty coffee in Los Angeles before opening. The shop maintains direct relationships with Colombian growers and roasts its own rotating single-origin series, including the Emerald Series, a small-batch collection of rare Colombian lots.

Q: Can I buy Boy & The Bear coffee to take home?

Yes. In addition to bagged beans available in-store, The Boy & The Bear offers a coffee subscription program with home delivery, built around fresh, seasonal roasts.

Q: What is Westport Heights like as a neighborhood?

Westport Heights is a walkable pocket of Westchester characterized by quiet, tree-lined streets of post-war bungalows and short, flat blocks that make errands and coffee runs an easy walk rather than a drive.

Q: How can I learn more about homes in Westchester?

Contact the Stephanie Younger Group to talk through current Westchester listings or to schedule a tour of the neighborhood.