The recent closure of the Glendon Avenue portion of the Westwood
Farmers’ Market has forced manager Aaron Shapiro to look for
alternative locations for displaced vendors, including UCLA’s
campus.
While the plans are still the in early stages of discussion,
Shapiro said he is optimistic that the market could move on campus
in locations such as Bruin Plaza or Schoenberg Plaza.
He said that the on-campus market would likely not attract as
many Westwood residents and would instead focus on serving the UCLA
community.
“We have yet to submit a formal proposal since it’s
a nascent idea,” Shapiro said.
Nothing definite has been decided since the project is still in
its early stages, said Melinda Bittan, executive director of campus
and community relations. Bittan declined to comment further pending
more developments.
There is also no timetable for the move, but Shapiro said he is
going ahead with planning the on-campus market’s layout and
visualizing its truck routes, major thoroughfares and
operations.
“The main problem is that we can’t really park
trucks around the market, and it’s difficult to get any sort
of parking nearby,” he said.
Merchants who held shops on Glendon Avenue at the weekly market
were informed last Thursday that the street was being closed for
construction of a multi-million dollar project by developer Alan
Casden and that they would not be allowed to return for
today’s market. Weyburn Avenue vendors were unaffected.
Shapiro said he is an “eternal optimist” and is
working to overcome whatever obstacles he would face in the move
onto campus.
The relocation of the market could help to benefit students as
well, said Sandy Brown, president of the Holmby-Westwood Property
Owners Association.
“If the percentage of students interested is large enough,
it seems worthwhile,” she said.
Shapiro said the Farmers’ Market plays a major role in the
revitalization of Westwood and that the disappearance of its
Glendon section would be detrimental to the Village.
“We’re too valuable of a community institution to
simply disappear because a developer wants to make it more
convenient for his crews,” Shapiro said.
The additional flow of shoppers onto the UCLA campus would bring
the college additional revenue, he added.
Another location Shapiro has in mind for the market is Lot 36 at
the northeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue.
“It’s a dream location since only a few cars are
parked there. On weekends, we could use the extra room for
customers and shuttle vans,” he said.
Lot 36 would focus on attracting business employees in Westwood
who are farther away from the UCLA campus, allowing them greater
convenience and accessibility to the market, the manager said.
A perfect solution would be if he could keep the current Weyburn
Avenue location running and open new locations on both the UCLA
campus and Lot 36, Shapiro said.
Steven Sann, co-president of community group Save Westwood
Village and a member of the Westwood Business Association, agreed
that the market plays an important role in the Village.
“The Farmers’ Market is an important tradition in
Westwood. Students really enjoy going to the Farmers’ Market
and buying fresh produce,” he said.
Though he said he believed that many enjoy visiting the market,
Sann said he was concerned that the Thursday market was no longer
doing its goal of revitalizing the Village economy and was instead
cannibalizing sales from stores in the area.
“Most merchants will tell you Thursday is their worst day
of business,” he said. “The Farmers’ Market was
designed to revitalize the Westwood economy, but as the
Farmers’ Market has grown, (local stores) have found it
competing with them instead of helping them.”
Another issue at hand is the street space that is taken on days
the market is open, Sann said.
“One big factor is that the market takes up so much
parking. We lose scores of street parking since farmers have to
park their trucks and vehicles,” he said.
Westwood businesses have felt the impact the market has had on
their day-to-day operations.
“We’ve had to tell customers that access to our shop
is limited on Thursdays because of the Farmers’
Market,” said Gizelle Strohkendl, vice president of Mural
Fine Jewelry on Glendon Avenue.
The removal of vendors from Glendon Avenue allows more people to
visit the shop, Strohkendl said.
“Moving it will help since our shop will be more
accessible,” she said.