South El Monte party venue shuts down, leaves families scrambling for refunds

A party venue in South El Monte abruptly closed before dozens of scheduled milestone celebrations, leaving families who had paid thousands of dollars for Sweet 16s and quinceañeras scrambling to recover their money or find last-minute alternatives, ABC7 Los Angeles reported Sunday.

The closure of The Rustic and Chic Co. underscores the financial peril families face when booking event venues whose permits have not been secured, after South El Monte revoked the company's operating permit over missing safety approvals — leaving customers with little recourse beyond small claims court.

ABC7 Los Angeles reported that South El Monte issued a "Warning Notice" ordering The Rustic and Chic Co. to cease business activity roughly one month before the venue went dark. The city had granted the company a Conditional Use Permit in 2023, but city staff recommended revoking it in February 2025 after finding the venue lacked building safety approvals, had an incomplete business license process requiring Los Angeles Fire Department clearance and had no security plan approved by the Sheriff's Department. The South El Monte City Council upheld the revocation in May 2025 and approved a six-month winddown period, according to ABC7.

Evelyn Guzman told 7 On Your Side Investigates she had paid $20,251.56 over three years toward her daughter's Sweet 16 scheduled June 20, 2025. Arriving at the property, she found it vacant and overgrown. "My heart sank," Guzman told the station. She described her ongoing distress in a separate statement to ABC7 Los Angeles: "I cried. I've been crying for like the last weeks." The venue owner offered repayment in monthly installments over 20 months, which she rejected. "I have invitations, I have vendors, I'm losing money. I invested in this to get my daughter, my only daughter, the best Sweet 16 ever," Guzman said. She told ABC7 she has since located a substitute: "I did find another venue. It's a decent venue. It's what we could afford now ... It's not what I wanted and not what she wanted."

Genien Guaderrama told ABC7 Los Angeles that her daughter Jazlyn had survived cancer, making the Sweet 16 a celebration of that survival. "We said if she was going to survive, that I was going to do everything in my power to make this day happen for her. This is why we did this whole big Sweet 16," Guaderrama said. The cancellation came one week before the event, according to ABC7. When Guaderrama called the venue, she said she was told the event would be moved to a smaller location with no refund. "She then went and proceeded to say that she would relocate us to a smaller venue, but that she was not going to give us any money back. I almost fainted. I was in shock," Guaderrama told the station. Jazlyn told ABC7: "I've been battling cancer and it's a big celebration." ABC7 reported Guaderrama received only $3,000 back and was offered an additional $3,000 in exchange for not posting negative reviews — a condition she declined.

In small claims court, venue owner Juan Mendez acknowledged paying approximately $17,000 to extend the venue's operating timeline, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. "They were actually accepting money from us in order to keep the venue open basically," Mendez said in court, according to ABC7. "It was very shady. So, we ended up paying about $17,000 to keep the venue open to extend our time." A separate customer, Irma Colin, won her own small claims case; a judge ruled Rustic and Chic owes her $9,725, according to ABC7. In a written statement, Mendez said the city's revocation was "unfair, unlawful" and vowed that "through the legal process, the full truth will come to light."

South El Monte City Manager Rene Salas defended the permit revocation in a statement provided to ABC7 Los Angeles. "Conditions of approval were established and communicated during the entitlement proceeding. The applicant failed to perform in accordance with those conditions. All applicable appeals and revocation procedures were conducted in full compliance with the City's Municipal Code," Salas said.

The Rustic and Chic Co. continues to operate a separate venue in the City of Commerce with no citations and a valid business license, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.