 Eli s Liquor Store is set in Koreatown circa 1999. It s the story of Elijah Gooden, a 43-year-old African-American man from Atlanta, Georgia. With a degree from Georgia Tech University, he worked in corporate America before moving his family to Los Angeles to start his own business. He and his family experience culture shock and adversity as they struggle to build their livelihood in an area dominated by Asian-American business owners. It is worlds apart from what he knew in Atlanta, and despite the varying degrees of suspicion, contempt, resentment and prejudice that he faces, Gooden makes a challenge to overlook racial lines and focuses on the humanity of every person in hopes of building better relationships.