Long Beach Coffee Shop Honors Late Girlfriend, Helps Community Heal

Tommy Le opened Reinne's Place to memorialize his girlfriend Reinne Lim, who was killed in a crash, and the coffee shop has become a hub for local causes.

Published on Feb. 8, 2026

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After his girlfriend Reinne Lim was killed in a 2022 car crash, Tommy Le opened Reinne's Place coffee shop in Long Beach as a way to honor her memory. The shop has become a gathering place for the community, with customers encouraged to leave handwritten "Reinne Checks" to memorialize loved ones. Reinne's Place has also hosted fundraisers for local organizations, showing how the business has evolved into a space for healing and community support.

Why it matters

This story highlights how a small business can become a focal point for a community dealing with grief and loss. By creating a space to honor his late girlfriend, Tommy Le has provided an outlet for others to process their own experiences with loss, while also using the coffee shop to support local causes that were important to Reinne Lim.

The details

Tommy Le opened Reinne's Place coffee shop in Long Beach as a way to memorialize his girlfriend Reinne Lim, who was killed in a wrong-way crash on the 5 Freeway in October 2022. Le was also critically injured in the crash. At the coffee shop, customers are encouraged to leave "Reinne Checks" - handwritten messages dedicated to loved ones who have passed away or remain part of their lives. Reinne's Place has also become a hub for local causes, recently raising nearly $1,000 for the immigration rights organization Oralé during an ICE Out rally.

  • Reinne Lim was killed in a car crash in October 2022.
  • Tommy Le opened Reinne's Place coffee shop in Long Beach as a memorial to his late girlfriend.
  • Earlier this month, Reinne's Place raised nearly $1,000 for the Oralé organization during an ICE Out rally.

The players

Tommy Le

The owner of Reinne's Place coffee shop, who opened the business as a memorial to his late girlfriend Reinne Lim.

Reinne Lim

Tommy Le's girlfriend who was killed in a car crash in October 2022, inspiring him to open Reinne's Place coffee shop in her honor.

Oralé

An organization that advocates for immigration rights, which Reinne's Place coffee shop recently raised funds for during an ICE Out rally.

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What they’re saying

“These 30 seconds do matter. I'm sometimes someone's first interaction for the day. How can I make an impact on their day - just that day - and continue to do that every single day.”

— Tommy Le, Owner, Reinne's Place (abc7.com)

“They all hold their own story, but I think it showed people when you're looking at this whole wall of 'Reinne Checks' or you look at this whole stack of 'Reinne Checks' is that we all have a lot more in common than we think we do.”

— Tommy Le, Owner, Reinne's Place (abc7.com)

What’s next

Reinne's Place is currently operating as a coffee residency inside Open Gallery, but Le hopes to open a permanent brick-and-mortar location for the shop in early spring.

The takeaway

By turning his personal tragedy into a community space that honors his late girlfriend and supports local causes, Tommy Le has shown how a small business can become a hub for healing and bringing people together during difficult times.