Southern California Farmers Market

[julm26]

Is the Farmers Market open everyday? I have a friend that thinks its only open on Sundays.

 

[Mkebound]

Open everyday and it's not a real farmer's market.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Your friend may be thinking of the Hollywood Farmers' Market (a real farmers' market -- and a good one) on Ivar. The Farmer's Market on Fairfax and Third (by the Grove) is open every day. There are market stalls, shops, and restaurants.

 

[julm26]

Your friend may be thinking of the Hollywood Farmers' Market (a real farmers' market -- and a good one) on Ivar. The Farmer's Market on Fairfax and Third (by the Grove) is open every day. There are market stalls, shops, and restaurants.

Thanks LuckyRabbit! She must be thinking of that one. I assumed she meant the one by the Grove.

 

[Sherry E]

I live right down the street from Farmers Market and The Grove (and also right down the street from Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits).

The Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax (which actually did start out decades ago as a real farmers market but changed over the years to become more of an all-purpose shopping center) is open every day unless it's a major holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving, as you've already learned in this thread...BUT keep in mind that the hours can change depending on the season and/or the day. For example, there are usually extended hours on certain days during the holiday season and summer.

Also, it should be noted that there is an inner part of the Market and an outdoor part of the Market. The outdoor part can often be confused with The Grove, because they kind of meld seamlessly together. This is important if you, for example, are trying to get parking validation at one of The Grove's restaurants but you actually (technically) parked in the Farmers Market lot. This happened to my friend - she thought she was eating at The Grove but it turned out to be a Farmers Market restaurant and she couldn't get validated!

The inner, historical portion of the Market tends to have shorter hours and many of the vendors who have been there for decades will shut down early. The new, outdoor section stays open longer.

The inner part of the Original Farmers Market is primarily the historical section - the section that has been there since the beginning (along with the clock tower). That's where all the wonderful mom & pop-type counter service restaurants are located (which, I feel, is a huge highlight of visiting the Market to begin with). Different ethnic cuisine. Bob's Doughnuts. Magee's. Dupar's (where I used to eat breakfast with my grandmother every Saturday morning when I was a little girl). The Gumbo Pot. Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream. Those kinds of places.

However, some newer restaurants and shops (including Starbucks and Johnny Rocket's) have invaded the inner Market, sadly. And the fully outdoor portion (that transitions into The Grove) has all new restaurants and shops such as Marmalade Cafe and Dylan's Candy Bar.

All in all, Farmers Market and The Grove together are a fun way to spend an afternoon. It's a nice, pretty place to visit, and it's a good place for celebrity sightings. I just wish the Original Farmers Market had been able to stay more true to what it once was many years ago - a place to showcase small businesses, unique little shops and the family-owned restaurants or fruit stands. Unfortunately, "big business" took over about 11 or 12 years ago when The Grove moved in, and a lot of the vendors in Farmers Market were either forced out due to a loss of revenue or they were forced out because their spaces ("stalls") were going to be turned into new, modern businesses.

The place that made my favorite meatball sandwich in the world used to be at Farmers Market (inner section), and the lady who ran it was forced out after The Grove moved in!

 

[larina]

Open everyday and it's not a real farmer's market.

You know, I just spent a weekend down there and I checked this thread before leaving and this comment was really discouraging! I believed you until I got there, then my daughter and I laughed at the idea that it was somehow "not real" as it seemed quite real to us. It is covered, but that doesn't make it "fake" just interesting. She had a 9 a.m. class at American Girl so we were there early and it was cool to watch the vendors unload their wares and get their days started. We spent hours walking around The Grove and the Farmers Market and really enjoyed it, much to our surprise ( I had prepped her that it wasn't real and we probably wouldn't spend much time there, boy was I wrong!).

Sherry, how sad that The Mall pushed out long time vendors. We were there to go to AG Place, but we loved all the little, independent shops and eateries.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, how sad that The Mall pushed out long time vendors. We were there to go to AG Place, but we loved all the little, independent shops and eateries.

Hi, larina!

If I had known you were going to be at Farmers Market and The Grove, I would have come up to say hello. It's very close to where I live.

Yes, it was sad to see what happened to many of the Farmers Market businesses when The Grove moved in next door. Some of them (that were there when I was a kid) are still there - like Littlejohn's (they make toffee and other treats), Du-par's, Bob's Doughnuts, Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Magee's. I think there may be a few others that survived the Grove invasion but quite a few newer places moved directly into Farmers Market too, and a lot of vendors either took big financial hits or were forced out. The feeling was that the customers were thinking, "Why would we want to get coffee at Bob's Doughnuts when Starbucks is right here too?"

I've never been able to find another meatball sandwich like the one made by the lady/family who owned Tony's (which was located in the general eating area where you can find The Gumbo Pot today, though Tony's was not in The Gumbo Pot's specific stall).

For a while, there was a big push by real estate developers to knock down the existing, original, inner part of the Market (the place where all the small vendors are) and the clock tower and make it an all-new shopping center to go with the shiny new Grove. However, people in this neighborhood and historical preservationists were not going to take that sitting down! If I'm not mistaken, that specific section of the Market is an official historical landmark and that's kind of what saved it from the wrecking ball! So, eventually there was a compromise and it was decided that the back section of the Market (close to CBS) would be removed and rebuilt, but that the inner portion of the Market would stay intact (with the exception of the struggling vendors who had to leave).

Don't get me wrong - I love The Grove too, and I think that side by side the two places complement each other nicely and make for a nice afternoon. I love the jumping fountain! But The Grove's arrival and a sort of 'makeover' of Farmers Market definitely pushed some folks out.

Back when most CBS soap operas and game shows taped at the CBS location behind Farmers Market (its building is on Beverly Blvd.), different TV celebrities would come over on their lunch breaks to get food. It was and is still a good place for celebrity sightings today, but not so much the CBS people anymore. Now you can find actual A-list and B-list folks occasionally walking through, trying to stay incognito as they shop. I think that TMZ has some people planted at The Grove (in disguise, and cameras hidden) all the time! (One time I saw a photographer stash his camera in a baby carriage, under a blanket!!)


Anytime I think about wanting to move to another area of Southern California (like closer to Disneyland, perhaps?), I can't imagine ever being far away from the Farmers Market! It's been a part of my life for so long, and I think I kind of take it for granted much of the time.

 

[Sherry E]

Earlier today I was watching a new show on the Travel Channel called "Burger Land," in which some guy I've never heard of before wanders around the United States in search of the best burgers (which doesn't really seem all that different from other burger-specific shows I've seen in the past). One episode was about the burgers in Hollywood, and L.A. in general.

To my great surprise, one of the places on the list of good L.A. burger establishments was Charlie's Coffee Shop...which is in the Original Farmers Market (in fact, it's in the same general patio food court area where the Gumbo Pot is)!!

Charlie's has been in the Farmers Market for decades, and I've gotten hot dogs there in the distant past (just basic, average hot dogs). I don't think I've ever eaten -- or thought of eating -- a burger there! The host of Burger Land ordered, in particular, a cheeseburger - and it didn't appear to be anything unusual or out of the ordinary, and yet it is supposed to be great!

Charlie's is one of those places that people who have been going to Farmers Market for years know of and maybe have eaten at in the past, but have never really thought of as a place to get a good burger. It's just a regular ol' counter service/walk-up place that serves burgers and dogs (a limited menu) and some breakfast items, but you wouldn't expect it to be anything that stands out.

However, just as is the case with many of the eating establishments in the inner/historical part of the Market, Charlie's is family-owned and operated and has been in one particular family for 37 years. The lady who owns it - she IS the Charlie in the name - works there every day with her daughter and makes sure those cheeseburgers are great! I remember her daughter (and Charlie) being there back in the early '80s when she was probably a teenager!

So I guess I am posting this because seeing the Burger Land segment on Charlie's today reminded me of what is great (and often overlooked) about many of the older Farmers Market eating establishments in the inner part of the Market. They don't look all that impressive, so people probably dismiss them as being bland or bad counter service food. But many of these places are run by these wonderful generations of families who have been there forever and want to make good food! (This was the case with my long-lost meatball sandwich lady - she and her whole family ran Tony's, and they made scrumptious, hearty Italian food and sandwiches like they would make at home in their own kitchen...until The Grove's appearance stole all the customers and forced them out!)

 

[endy]

Hi Sherry
Is the farmers market easy to get to from Anaheim? Would my ds16 drive me crazy or are there enough shops that he may like? Especially sports, sneakers and hats? And of course junk food.
Maybe we can meet up, it will be mid August when we're there. No Catalina or DL this year so I like to find something new to check out.
Wendy

 

[Sherry E]

Hi Sherry
Is the farmers market easy to get to from Anaheim? Would my ds16 drive me crazy or are there enough shops that he may like? Especially sports, sneakers and hats? And of course junk food.
Maybe we can meet up, it will be mid August when we're there. No Catalina or DL this year so I like to find something new to check out.
Wendy

Hi, Wendy!

I was surprised to see you over in this thread! That's too bad that you can't sneak in a Catalina trip in July because the Express is renewing the free birthday boat ride offer once more (3rd year in a row) - I think it might be the last time for the free ride, though.

Does your son like cars and other vehicles? You could take him to the Petersen Auto Museum on Wilshire and Fairfax.

Back on topic - as for Farmers Market and The Grove.... Hmm... I don't know if your 16-year-old son would necessarily enjoy them that much. I don't know if there would be enough to hold his interest. He'd probably look at the 2 places together and see one big mall. Pull up the Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax and The Grove websites online and look over the lists of shops and things (although there are some things in the Farmers Market that are not listed on the Farmers Market site, for some weird reason). Maybe something will appeal to him.

ETA: The Farmers Market and The Grove are roughly 40 - 45 minutes from Anaheim, without traffic. With traffic it is a different story!

 

[endy]

Thanks Sherry. We're going to Seattle in July. We went to Seattle last summer and it`s his choice to go again.
While I would love to go to Catalina again I'll have to wait. DS is going into grade 12 next year so this may be the end of holidays with him for a while. However I have 5 weeks of holidays a year and a few co-workers with the same so I'm sure I'll be able to convince one of them to go to Catalina with me in the next few years. And I won`t be restricted to summer holidays anymore.

Off to check out the websites you mentioned. Maybe I can convince him to go to the farmers markets and go to a Dodgers game the same day. They`re fairly close aren`t they.