Kimberly Adams

According to a Gallup poll from last summer, U.S.

drinking rates hit a record low of 54%, and that number is even lower for young adults, which is welcome news if you're in the business of N.A.

That's the setup for today's installment of our series, My Economy.

My name is Amber Suzanne Pennington.

I am the co-owner of Free Spirited with my husband, Arleo de Guzman, and we are at Free Spirited in Alhambra, California.

So coming in through the red gate, you're not going to find a handle on the door, which confuses a lot of people.

We actually have had people knock before.

But there's a sticker that says, activate switch to operate.

So you press the button.

And we made this handicap accessible so anyone could come in and enjoy and not feel left out.

We are a sober craft cocktail lounge and allergen friendly scratch kitchen.

We opened in January 2024.

The inspiration came when we were working at a bar together and a bunch of sober cocktails or mocktails were being ordered.

And I was like, oh, my God, there's an actual demographic for this.

It's not just me.

So with my history of losing people to addiction, being hit by a drunk driver and my husband going through alcoholism, I'm like, all right.

Dang it, we're doing this.

This is something that we can do and we're going to be a place for someone.

Winter as well as January all the way through spring is our busy time.

Summer is our slow time.