Driving up to LA Farmers Market plaza, you first notice the market's clock tower, an internationally recognized icon, The LA Farmers Market sign, and Hollywood Hills. There is no better place to get healthy food Los Angeles-style than at the LA Farmers Market.
A visit to this Los Angeles tourist attraction is likely to inspire awe if you're not accustomed to a multicultural blend of people, cars, trolleys, vegetables, vendors, exciting foods, history, culture, and contemporary elements juxtaposed against traditional.
Situated at 3rd and Fairfax, The LA Farmers Market has a long history. Originally a dairy farm, LA Farmers Market was born around 70 years ago when a businessman and a copywriter asked Mr. Gilmore to open a "farmers market" on his land. He agreed, farmers showed up and sold produce from the back of pickup trucks, and they paid .50 USD daily to rent spaces. A lady named Maggie thought the farmers might get hungry and started bringing food. Soon more vendors came and The Big Idea "took off."
Located beside Hollywood Hills and other famous places, LA Farmers Market attracts three million visitors annually. If there were a place to spot Elvis, this might be it. On any given day, the person you think "looks exactly like that one guy that played on that one show" probably IS that one guy that played on that one show. He might be a regular in one of the coffee shops or take part in an impromptu jam session with the band on one of the stages.
Like a theme park, you see foreign visitors, dignitaries, movie stars, musicians, authors, racecar drivers... Shirley Temple once did a charity here. Jay Leno displayed his wooden bodied Rolls Royce at the Gilmore Antique Auto Show held at Farmers Market.
With 70 shops, LA Farmers Market and its merchants employ 500 people; among them, 20 languages are represented. Approximately 90 percent of shop and stall vendors are owner-operators.
Food ranges from international cuisine to gourmet to basics like hotdogs, ice cream and roasted nuts. The sights, sounds, and smells of the Market are dazzling and are accompanied by one of the grandest displays of fresh fruits and vegetables on the planet.
According to Farmers Market literature, "CBS Television City, which is just north of Farmers Market, sits on land which was part of the original Gilmore dairy farm. The site was once home to Gilmore Stadium." Portions of LA Farmers Market today are designated as official Los Angeles Cultural and Historical Landmarks.
Interesting trivia about LA Farmers Market
- On the Market's Upper Dining Deck, you can view Hollywood Hills and see art work that depicts the history and culture of LA Farmers Market.
- James Dean is believed to have eaten breakfast at the Farmers Market on the day of his fatal crash in 1955.
- According to the Farmers Market Website, Walt Disney prepared designs for Disneyland while sitting at a Market patio table, and he incorporated elements of the Market into his original design.
Would you like information on every farmers market in the United States? See my article, Farmers Markets in USA.
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Copyright June 2006 by Sally Morton
