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DOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN’S ARTS DISTRICT INSPIRES CREATORS OF ALL TYPES, INCLUDING AN UP-AND-COMING DISTILLER OF FINE VODKA. BY ROGER GRODY
NOT ONLY ARE SOME OF THE most innovative artists, chefs and fashion designers gravitating to downtown Los Angeles, but the city center is also reprising its rich history as a place where exciting, world-class goods are manufactured. Honoring that legacy is an artisanal vodka called Loft & Bear, a product proudly crafted in the heart of L.A. ¶ Loft & Bear is the first product of YSA (Young State America) Distilling Co., a small-batch artisanal distillery founded in 2013 by young entrepreneur Paul Ryan Elliott. After graduating with a degree in economics from the University of North Carolina, Elliott was torn between pursuing an MBA and distilling vodka, his spirit of choice. “I spent $500 to enroll in a GMAT prep course and used another $500 to buy my first still,” Elliott says, explaining his allocation of sparse resources at the time. ¶ He never did take the admission exam—and has no regrets about his impetuous decision to become a craft distiller.
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