This past Thursday, the Westwood Farmers’ Market returned
after being gone for 98 days. Only it wasn’t in Westwood.
In fact, it wasn’t anywhere near UCLA. And there were many
fewer people there in the very new surroundings.
The market was once a weekly event UCLA students flocked to. The
local tradition, normally held on Weyburn Avenue, ended March 30
when it was forced to close by the Los Angeles Fire Department due
to safety concerns caused by construction.
The new location is the Veterans’ Garden on the
Veterans’ Administration grounds (which is technically in
Brentwood, not in Westwood). Many of the vendors who were at the
old location were present at the new one, as were new vendors,
scheduled to be there every Thursday from 1-7 p.m.
The new market still has everything a market should have ““
I left with the same bags of produce that I frequently bought at
the old location, and the shoppers I talked to were happy with
their purchases.
The garden was a pleasant location, and it’s good to know
that part of the proceeds of the Farmers’ Market go to the
Vets’ Garden, which helps veterans as part of a work therapy
program.
The problem, however, was attendance. There were far fewer
people than there were in Westwood, probably due to people not
being familiar with the new location. Or perhaps old shoppers found
somewhere new to go during the three months following the closure
of the old market.
But vendors seemed optimistic business will improve with
time.
“I think (this location) is better than the old
one,” said Everett Davall of Dates by Davall.
“There’s much more room for people to park, much more
space overall. I think it’s going to be successful once the
word gets out.”
But the UCLA student and faculty presence at the new market was
virtually non-existent. In previous summers I’ve seen many
UCLA people at the market on Weyburn. The new location is so far
from campus ““ and incredibly difficult to get to for students
without cars ““ that a chunk of potential shoppers has been
lost.
There aren’t significant bus lines that service the
market, and people can’t walk a long distance with bags full
of cantaloupes and oranges.
To get to the new Farmers’ Market, you have to know to
turn left onto Constitution Avenue from Sepulveda Boulevard, and
then right at Davis Avenue ““ because you can’t see the
market at all until you turn on Davis. The few signs that were
posted were small and hard to see. Compare that to the old
location, which was easy to see while driving down the always-busy
Westwood Boulevard.
I cannot blame those in charge of the market, as relocating was
not their decision.
But unless changes are made, the new market will not last
long.
The old one was in Westwood for 12 years and seemed like part of
the UCLA community, right by campus. The new one is isolated, away
from nearly everything culturally significant in West Los Angeles,
including the UCLA campus. The UCLA community provided a huge
economic contribution to the market, and unless this is somehow
reclaimed, this tradition may come to an end.
It’s a shame that the Westwood Farmers’ Market had
to relocate in the first place, taking away a part of Westwood
Village. And after the first day of the new Farmers’ Market,
I get the feeling that this isn’t going to work.
E-mail Quinonez at gquinonez@media.ucla.edu. Send general
comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.