I’m sure we’ve all been to a Farmers’ Market in the last couple of months, hell some of us will have been to one this week. So, it was with some skepticism that #TeamCoco rocked up to the Farmers’ Market in LA. Nestled next to famous shopping spot The Grove and the TV studio magic of the CBS Studios, this is an unlikely spot for a slice of vintage americana but if you take one thing from this article; this is so much more than a market.
We’re met by Maritza from the market’s team who give us a colourful tour of the market’s history and points out some of the 70-odd merchants at the site who are all small, family run outfits that are carefully vetted and nurtured by the market.
While Maritza isn’t available generally for tours she tipped us off about www.meltingpottours.com who run a 2.5 hour stroll around the market with sampling included. We’ll be back to try out their tour next time.
Any history buff will die in the presence of the stories within the market’s walls. In 1880 A. F Gilmore bought two dairy farms in what is now Los Angeles and in 1934 he was approached by two local entrepreneurs with an idea for a ‘village’ where farmers could sell their produce…
Fast forward to 2017, through silver screen legends like Shirley Temple working behind the counter of Brock’s Candies during a 1936 fundraiser, Marilyn Munroe opening a cheesecake stall (yes, really), Frank Sinatra hanging out at Patsy’s Pizza (that you can STILL visit today) and a little bit about a flying lion called Gilmore ; you can turn up, shop for souvenirs, eat great food and grab a local beer and watch live music.
We visited E.B’s Wine & Beer for a local beer flight and a live pianist, Pampas Grill for South American BBQ, Magee’s House of Nuts to chat to the market’s longest serving employee, Doris and Bennett’s Ice-Cream for an epic hot fudge sundae.
The Market is open 9am- 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm on Saturday and 10am to 7pm Sunday. We’d recommend heading there for early evening to soak up the atmosphere, we caught a Beatles cover band while we were there!
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