Farmers’ market works to put down new roots

Though concerns about convenience may have deterred some students from attending the Westwood Farmers’ Market at its new Brentwood location, graduate students Devin Murphy and Caitlin Hawks said the new location offers a more relaxed experience.

The Veterans’ Garden market opened in July 2006 after the closure of the Westwood Village Farmers’ Market, which was located on the corner of Weyburn Avenue and Westwood Boulevard.

Hawks and Murphy called the Veterans’ Garden, operated by the Veterans Affairs Hospital, a serene location, as it includes gardens, live music and some unique entertainment such as parrots.

“At the VA, it’s nice to come to listen to the music and enjoy the market’s surroundings while shopping,” said Murphy, a graduate education student.

Hawks, a second-year law student, also said she enjoys going to the market’s new location.

“Though I’ve come here only a handful of times, the market has a really nice atmosphere. Still, I do not come to the market as often as I used to because its location is not as convenient,” she said.

Mark Wall, manager of the market, said when the market was in Westwood Village, about 50 percent of attendees were students. Now, he said that number has dropped to 10 to 20 percent.

Henry Debey, a fourth-year geography and environmental studies student who volunteers at the market, said he also noticed that fewer students come.

“Most students aren’t health-conscious enough to shop at farmers’ markets, plus there has not been much advertising because the market doesn’t have enough money,” he said.

Some vendors said the new location has affected their businesses.

“I have a completely different clientele at this location than in Westwood Village,” said Jean Avisard of Tradition of Provence, which sells breads, pastas and pastries.

“In (Westwood Village) the customers were much younger, mainly UCLA students, people who work at the hospital and those who live in the area. Here, most customers are from the VA or elderly couples, ranging in ages from 40 to 60. Later in the day, families with young children come and shop,” she said.

Avisard added that despite the change in clientele, he has not noticed any major change in sales.

But Hosea Ben Israel of Soul Vegetarian, Vegan Soul Food and Shae Seward of Cobblermania! said the booths have experienced a sharp decrease in sales.

“I have a lot less business. No ifs, ands or buts about it,” Israel said. “I used to sell three pans of food in the time I now sell half a pan. I used to sell nine to 10 liters of juice and now I sell only about three gallons.”

But Seward said she believes sales will increase as more people hear about the market.

“It’s like comparing a child to a teenager. This market is in its beginning stage; it can’t be compared to a market that was open for over a decade,” she said.

Wall also said he has high hopes for the market’s future.

“In my mind, this is a completely new market. I’m unhappy about the market’s current size, but every week more people come, even now during the winter time,” he said.

Wall and the vendors said the greatest asset their new location has is the abundance of free parking.

“The problem with the Westwood location was there was absolutely no place to park,” Avisard said. “Here, there is no problem at all.”

But Avisard said he would still prefer the market to be at its old location.

“It’s a much more lively location. I had customers I had known for years that had become my friends that I don’t see anymore. People who came to Westwood Village can’t come to the VA because they don’t want to lose their parking spaces in Westwood because parking is such a problem.”

Though some had talked last year of moving the market back to Westwood Village, Wall said he does not believe that will happen anytime soon.

“It’s always a possibility, but it doesn’t seem like it for now. But you never know. I never thought it would leave where it was,” he said.

The Westwood Farmers’ Market is open every Thursday from noon to 6 p.m.

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