Community Services

Wenger Furniture is proud to take an active role in community events in the greater Los Angeles area. We are a third generation family store at our same location for over 75 years. We have grown old with our community. However, when it comes to getting involved with our neighbors, we have a strong, and youthful spirit to help our community grow and prosper. We enjoy giving support to many organizations that display the same values as our store.

We're Proud to Support These Organizations

Door of Hope

East Los Angeles Christmas Parade

Community Watch Program

Latino Walk of Fame

Whittier Blvd. Merchants Association

Tour De Summer Camps

An Impetus to Stop Homelessness

The tragic reality of homelessness is a persistent problem in too many cities; Los Angeles is no exception. Subject to the perils of chronic homelessness, a 56-year-old man lived in an East Los Angeles parking lot. Every night, he slept on a bed of concrete with cardboard as his blanket. Last week, he lost his life due to the harsh and, frankly, inhumane conditions of living on the streets. My hope is that, through this letter, you are persuaded to act in a cohesive and collaborative effort with our Los Angeles City Government to mitigate homelessness.

The East Los Angeles man I mentioned was not invisible. He made acquaintances and friends on the streets and had even befriended a Los Angeles County sheriff’s officer. On the morning of his death, one of his homeless friends flagged down an officer to report a possible death. The sheriff called the coroner who subsequently labeled the parking lot a “crime scene.” For four hours, the parking lot was barricaded from the public and adjacent businesses in order to conduct a complete investigation of the death. The few officers and a coroner with an assistant collected so much information about this man, and also devoted far more time to him than any county social services agent had done in the last several years. In fact, the sheriff reported that he had known about this chronically homeless individual for many months but didn’t know who to call to help him.

How is it possible that our sheriff’s officers, seeing homeless individuals living outside at all times, are not equipped to place a call to an interim shelter that can provide services and a path to permanent housing? This man deserved to be offered help; he deserved better. I am certain if an officer were to see a person who was standing on the edge of a building or a bridge threatening suicide, the officer would snap into action by calling an authoritative team to help this desperate person.

I hope that you treat the loss of the man's life as a reminder of the devastating consequences of homelessness and the urgent need for solutions to address this emergency. There are many different approaches that can be taken to address homelessness, but first, the government leaders of Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County need a paradigm shift. A shift demonstrating that each homeless person needs help even if the homeless person denies help. Whatever the specific strategies that are adopted, it is clear that we must work together to find ways to provide support and assistance to those who are struggling to survive on the streets.

I hope that the death of this 56-year-old homeless man (and 5 people a night dying on the streets of Los Angeles) serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of homelessness. It is a tragedy that should require us to redouble our efforts to find solutions to this pressing issue and to do everything in our power to ensure that no one else has to suffer the same fate.

Lastly, I have a lot of faith in our California Government to realize that we need to solve this problem immediately. To me, it’s clear that there is not enough affordable housing for our present population in the southland. We need more affordable housing for the less fortunate who can’t afford the high housing prices or the high rental costs. The demand for low cost housing is greater than the supply of low cost housing. Our government must re-examine “All” the costs that are included in the production of homes and apartments.

Tour De Summer Camps

THE Tour de Summer Camps, my favorite day of the year, is coming up on October 30th. Each bike rider who participates in the Tour de Summer Camps collects donations to help send underprivileged kids to summer camp. Boys and girls who never had a chance to go to camp will now have this golden opportunity. Every dollar collected goes directly to fund scholarships for these kids. There is not a better way to help kids grow and mature than a week or month away from home. These kids make friends and create memories that they remember for a lifetime. Every donation big or small helps build the future of our country.

This year is our 10th Tour de Summer Camps. This means that I have to make this year's ride extra special. Therefore, I'm going to push myself a little bit out of my comfort zone and sign up for the 62 mile ride. I still have 2 1/2 months to prepare for this gargantuan ride.

This past Sunday morning, around 9:30 am, the sun was rising in the eastern sky and the temperature was already pushing 82 degrees. I started my first day of training for the Tour de Summer Camps. During my ride, the temperature rose to a sizzling 102 degrees. I felt like a chocolate chip cookie baking on the streets of Woodland Hills and the North San Fernando Valley! I finished my ride severely overheated. But, I had a feeling of pride, because all of my challenging rides in preparation for the "big day" will be well worth it. I am riding to help kids attend summer camp.

So, the "big day" is Sunday, October 30th. I am participating - do you want to join me for the ride and all of the fun? If you want to participate, there are 4 rides you can do. You can choose the 18 mile, the 36 mile, the 62 mile or the 100 mile.

I can't wait for the thrill and excitement of the ride. Possibly, this year, over 1000 riders will descend on the Brandeis Bardin Institute in Simi Valley just as the sun is rising. The staff and lots of volunteers will cheer us on throughout the ride which boosts the excitement even more. Indeed, it will be a special Sunday morning. The ride is just like the Tour de France with police escorts, announcers, medics, breakfast, drinks and tons of snacks along the way. Our stomachs are full as we burn thousands of calories in the Simi Valley sun.

The reason I believe in summer camp is because I was a camper and a counselor from ages 10 - 20. For me, there is honestly no better place I wanted to be every summer because I could participate in sports, arts and crafts, theater, hiking and so much more. THE best part of summer camp was the chance to make lifelong friends.

Please consider donating to help send even more kids to summer camp. Thank you for supporting me as I endeavor to get many more kids to enjoy and benefit from summer camp.

Door of Hope

Wenger Furniture and Appliances has a friendly working relationship with Door of Hope Community Center on Atlantic Blvd. When we need a job done at our store, we place a call to their office and they send capable workers right over. Each month Door of Hope helps us by providing us with instant extra employees. Also, when Door of Hope needs a donation to help a family with furniture or appliance needs, we are very eager to help.

They do such a remarkable job. Door of Hope services youth, adults, seniors and the disabled residing in the surrounding East Los Angeles communities. The facility is a full-resource community center for over 25 years. Although we serve mostly a Latino population, we have always and will continue to serve all ethnicity's in the East Los Angeles and surrounding communities of Los Angeles County.

The Door of Hope Community Center provides the community with many social services. For youth, the WIA Title l program that provides basic skills and job development, GED assistance, and placement services. In addition, the center houses a food bank, a gym, and a computer lab for the entire community to enjoy. Moreover, the center provides case management and counseling services in anger management, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, intervention, etc. Furthermore, Door of Hope serves as a training ground by providing local college interns and court-appointed community service volunteers with a great work experience.

East Los Angeles Christmas Parade

Each year Wenger Furniture and Appliances has been a sponsor of our community parade. In November of 2016 we sponsored our company float and sponsored the kick-off breakfast held at our community fire-station for all the attending dignitaries.

This parade is the largest and longest running Christmas parade focusing our East Los Angeles community. The East Los Angeles Christmas Parade had run 35 consecutive years until a recession hit Los Angeles County in 2008. Our glorious parade was absent for 7 years until the Whittier Blvd. Merchants Association, WBMA, pleaded with supervisor Hilda Solis to help us kick start the parade back to our community. With her support, the WBMA brought the parade back to the Whittier Boulevard Shopping District.

Our event this year was a traditional parade with spectacular floats, marching bands, equestrian units, cheer leading squads, state senators, assemblymen, US Congressmen, Congresswomen, and special celebrities. We used our traditional route through the historic Whittier Boulevard Shopping District which is the heart of East Los Angeles.

Wenger Furniture's representative, James Wenger, was on the parade committee from the late 1980s-1997 and was also on the 2016 committee.

Whittier Blvd. Merchants Association

Wenger Furniture is located in the heart of East Los Angeles within a shopping district of about 210 stores large and small. Our small community is called an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. We helped form a business association that has worked hard to improve the The governing body watching over us is our LA County Supervisors, helping us be an important member of the WBMA.

The Whittier Blvd. Merchants Association has contributed immensely to the improvement of the East Los Angeles community. East Los Angeles is largely impacted from graffiti in all locations of our community. At a Merchant's Association meeting, the Community Youth Gang Services Program introduced a graffiti removal program. This program will help all merchants on Whittier Boulevard paint over the ugly graffiti marks that are on our storefronts, community building storefronts and alleyways. The Community youth gang services will provide all the merchants with the necessary paint supplies and the labor for the graffiti removal and they also offer sandblasting when necessary. The Merchant Association wants to encourage each merchant on Whittier to use this program and erase the graffiti from our community.

The Whittier Blvd. Merchants Association is not only concerned about erasing the graffiti in our community, but they are also very concerned about the outstanding amount of traffic. The Eastern Avenue on-ramp between Whittier and Olympic Boulevards had been closed for over 3 years. This ramp is the primary way the people of East Los Angeles access the 710 freeway. The closure affected the customers of more than 215 businesses on Whittier Blvd. The issue affected the normalcy and the economy of the entire Whittier Boulevard Shopping District. Numerous attempts were made to resolve this issue by contacting government officials such as our State Representatives, Los Angeles County Supervisors as well as Caltrans. None of these worked until the WBMA started a petition to reopen the eastern avenue ramp that had caused so much trouble. A total of 310 signatures were received by the East Los Angeles community who wanted their voice to be heard. The Whititer Boulevard Merchants Association made the reopening of the Eastern on-ramp possible for their community.

The Whittier Boulevard Demonstration Clean-up Project was also created by the Whittier Blvd. Merchants Association. This Project was publicly funded, designed to alleviate the problem of pedestrian litter derived shoppers and persons using Whittier Boulevard. It was designed to keep Whittier Boulevard's huge little problem under control. Additional benefits included steam cleaning, graffiti removal from public works street furniture, public parking lot cleaning and landscaping. This project initiated in March of 1993 and is still present thanks to the WBMA.

Community Watch Program

The Sheriff's department is less than a mile away from the biggest community shopping district in East Los Angeles - Whittier Blvd Shopping District. This is one of the most important shopping districts with stores such as Wenger Furniture, The Boulevard Cafe, Fallas Paredes Clothing and the new Nike Town. Because of the proximity to the Sheriff's office and friendly neighborhoods surrounding the area, a closeness has been created between our sheriff and the Whittier Blvd. Merchant's Association - WBMA.

There are community meetings each month with the Sheriff's Dept. to discuss major issues that are affecting the merchants on a daily basis. Through these meetings, with the help of the LA County Supervisors Office we are fighting neighborhood graffiti, illegally parked food trucks, homelessness, burglary and theft, illegal street vending and the growth of marijuana dispensaries.

The success is clear - our neighborhood watch program on the "Boulevard" is working. The people of our East Los Angeles area can peacefully stroll the boulevard, enjoy all types of shopping and eat at the yummiest restaurants. As we focus on keeping our community free of gangs and with our zero tolerance of graffiti, our shopping district will attract more of the finest restaurants and top notch retail stores.

Graffiti has been a tremendous problem in our business community. Our customers do not want to see graffiti on the outside of stores, sidewalks, bus stops and in the alleyways. Therefore, the Merchant Association wants to encourage each merchant on Whittier to use this program. Let's ease all the graffiti from our Community. Whittier Boulevard is a beautiful place to shop. With the support of the Community Watch Program we can lower graffiti, and many other things.

Latino Walk of Fame

The Latino Walk of Fame is the modified version of the Hollywood walk of fame, but with the focus of Latino actors, singers, and much more. Receiving a Sun Plaque represented your loyalty, community contribution, and respect for the East Los Angeles community. Many on the Latino Walk of Fame have played a huge role in the Latino community, and the Sun Plaque serves to commemorate their talent, and hard work. The Latino Walk of Fame was inaugurated on April 30, 1997 on the streets of Whittier Blvd. A total of 230 plaques were placed in the heart of East LA and to this day they are still appreciated by our Latino community.

The Walk of Fame is located on both sides of Whittier Boulevard between Atlantic Boulevard and Eastern Avenue. This is unique because it is the first public area in California solely devoted to honoring Latino leaders who have made contributions to American society. These contributions have been evident in every facet of American life, including academia, politics, theater, film, sports and many more professions. There is a whole Latin world out there, composed of Los Angeles largest and oldest minority, that is unknown, unexplained and under appreciated by the Anglo world.

The Walk of Fame is an effort to showcase the many Latin heroes who often are overlooked in American Life. Latinos can tend to be a private people keeping within their family and religious groups, making it difficult for their family and religious groups, making it difficult for the general public to understand their culture beyond what they glimpse through Mexican food, music, art and Cinco de Mayo. The Walk of Fame hopes to dispel some of the stereotypes put forth in the media of Latinos as no more than gang members, and illegal aliens. Instead, it would like to focus on some of the Latino leaders and heroes who have contributed to life in Los Angeles and Southern California for generations. It is about time to say thank you to our Latino friends and neighbors who have helped create our beautiful city of Los Angeles.

Enjoy Shopping At Wenger Furniture and Appliances

Wenger Furniture and Appliances has been serving southern California for over 70 years. We are a 3rd generation family business with more than 46 family members having worked at some point in our store between 1947 to today. We have created a friendly store that is a fun place to be and you will always find what you need for your home. We guarantee that if you are looking for the newest appliances for your kitchen remodel, we have them! Check out the new LG and Samsung “Door in Door” refrigerators – see through the clear glass doors for convenience.

We welcome you to browse the latest LG and Whirlpool stoves with “PowerBake Convection” and the “Easy Clean” feature. These new models are technologically advanced for the 21st century.

Even if you just want to come in to talk about anything from politics to the Dodgers we welcome every question. Spending time in our store will give you a comfortable feeling that we are the place to help you furnish your home. We have the newest designs in furniture with the quality you want. Simply, “The Best for Less.”

Our store has the latest designs: Traditional, Transitional, Retro, Modern, French, Country and, of course, sophisticated, unique styles for the new Millennials. With the help of our trained sales staff, you can find the perfect bedroom set that you will enjoy for years and eventually, pass on to your kids. As well, you can find a dream dining room set featuring a stylish table top and sturdy chairs that can make your family dinner a special place to be.

Our team of advisors will make your dreams come true. It’s easy to choose a new living room set because our designers have set up special 14 pc package vignettes with matching sofas, loves, occasional tables, lamps, rugs and accessories. Also for your bedroom, if you are having trouble sleeping, our Sleep Team will help you choose the best Sealy or Cool Gel set that is right for you. Let us do all the work for you.

Wenger Furniture and Appliances is your “one stop shop” when it comes to designing your perfect home. Plus, our store is conveniently located in Los Angeles and we are open 7 days each week. Please come see us first. With over 45 living room set, 56 Bedroom sets and 60 dining room sets, we will have the unique set for your home that fits your budget.