Altadena Girls pop-up creates a permanent space where teenage fire survivors can just feel normal

An effort to bring free clothes, toiletries and a sense of normalcy to girls displaced by January’s fires now has a permanent home in Old Town Pasadena.

Altadena Girls started as a donation-supported pop-up in Boyle Heights. Volunteers and partners then spent the past nine months transforming an 11,000-square-foot space in a historic bank building into the ultimate hangout, which opens Thursday.

Now-15-year-old co-founder Avery Colvert said the goal is to create a “third space” for girls affected by the fires.

“It's not school. It's not home. It's somewhere where girls can go to … be calm within themselves,” Colvert said. “We are gonna have so many different opportunities here.”

There are studios for music and podcasting sponsored by Fender and another for dance and movement classes.