David Cooley is the master at the art of work and play. Over the past 15+ years, his creation, The Abbey Food and Bar, has grown from a small, West Hollywood coffeehouse to one of the most popular hotspots in the country. Locals, tourists and celebrities alike all flock to The Abbey for its famous Martinis as well as its stunning, open-air ambiance and truly relaxed elegance. The Abbey's most recent 4,000 square-foot expansion (the fifth in 12 years), included the addition of a brand new bar and lounge, now dubbed the Effen Smooth Bar, bringing its total size to approximately 16,000 square feet. Both AOL CityGuide and Zagat Survey rank The Abbey as THE hot spot in L.A. Such popularity and critical acclaim are a testament to Cooley's drive and entrepreneurial spirit.
Cooley, hailing from Ohio and armed with a degree in Hotel Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, packed up and moved out to Los Angeles in 1981. Despite a slew of job offers centered in the Midwest and on the East Coast that would have placed him in exciting industry positions, Cooley was determined to head west. "The move to LA was a disappointment to a lot of my professors and to my parents," admits Cooley, who waited tables and cleaned houses just to earn some money during his first months on the West Coast.
Pursuing a new career in finance, Cooley had a brief stint as a stockbroker before eventually becoming a vice president at Wells Fargo Bank. Shortly thereafter in 1991, Cooley set out on his own, and invested in a small, discreet space in West Hollywood that he renovated into a coffeehouse. He named it The Abbey - which at that time was located on the west side of Roberson Blvd (now Bossa Nova Grill), across from its current location.
Fueled by the then-budding coffee craze, Cooley's 1,100-square-foot start-up coffeehouse instantly took off. Today, The Abbey is known by many as "the social hub of West Hollywood," where patrons enjoy relaxed weekend afternoons as well as star-studded gala events.
In May 2006, Cooley and The Abbey entered an entirely new and exciting phase in its partnership with the Los Angeles-based SBE, which has fast become one of the pivotal players in the Los Angeles nightlife and restaurant scene. Armed with the expertise, infrastructure and corporate reach of SBE, The Abbey is beginning its biggest expansion to date - reproducing the signature Abbey experience in selected cities nationwide. While no specific locations have been finalized for national expansion, Cooley and SBE are exploring locations where The Abbey's open-air concept would work best, including Miami's South Beach, Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Cooley continues to play a vital role in the operation and expansion of The Abbey, as well as a significant participant in and contributor to the community that has been loyal to The Abbey. His Academy Awards party "The Envelope Please" is now sponsored by Esquire Magazine and has raised more than $150,000 a year for AIDS Project Los Angeles. He is also active in Toys for Tots, Aid for AIDS, South African Families and People with AIDS; as well as Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing, to which he donates his Hancock Park estate every year for fundraisers.
More information on SBE can be found at
www.sbe.com.
in shock.
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