The Original Farmers Market is an area of food stalls, sit-down eateries, prepared food vendors, and produce markets in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, at the corner of Fairfax Avenue and 3rd Street. First opened in July 1934, it is also a historic Los Angeles landmark and tourist attraction. The Original Farmers Market features more than 100 vendors, including ready-to-eat foods, grocers, and tourist shops, and is located just south of

Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is an American television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Fairfax Avenue. Designed by architect William Pereira and C ...

. Unlike most farmers' markets, which are held only at intervals, The Original Farmers' Market of Los Angeles is a permanent installation and is open seven days a week. The vendors serve many kinds of food, both

American cuisine American cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes prepared in the United States. It has been significantly influenced by Europeans, indigenous Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and many other cultures a ...

from local farmers and local ethnic foods from the many immigrant communities of Los Angeles, with many

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

n cuisines well represented. It is located at the corner of 3rd Street and

Fairfax Avenue Fairfax Avenue is a street in the north central area of the city of Los Angeles, California. It runs from La Cienega Boulevard in Culver City at its southern end to Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood on its northern end. From La Cienega Boulevard (be ...

in the Fairfax District of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. It is adjacent to The Grove outdoor

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

; an electric-powered

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

runs between the two sites. The market is a destination for

foodie A foodie is a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food, and who eats food not only out of hunger but also as a hobby. The related terms " gastronome" and "gourmet" define roughly the same thing, i.e. a person who enjoys food for plea ...

s in search of the market's ethnic cuisines, specialty food markets, and prepared-food stalls. A sign that reads "Meet Me at Third and Fairfax" displays at the front of The Original Farmers Market. File:FM Neon Sign.jpg, The Original Farmers Market Sign File:L.A._Farmers_Market-people-environmentL.A._Farmers_Market-people-environment-000052.jpg, Bob's Donuts

History

The origins of the market started in 1880, when Arthur Fremont Gilmore and his partner, who had come from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, bought two dairy farms in the Los Angeles area. Gilmore bought what is now called The Original Farmers Market, and his partner bought the land plot nowadays known as The Grove. Ten years later the partners decided to split their holdings and Gilmore took control of the large 256-acre ranch, its dairy herd, and farmhands at what is now the world-famous Original Farmers Market and Grove. The market started when a dozen nearby farmers began to park their trucks on a field to sell fresh produce to local residents. The cost to rent the space was fifty cents per day. Gilmore Oil Company replaced the dairy farm when oil was discovered under the land while drilling for water wells in 1905; this became the

Salt Lake Oil Field The Salt Lake Oil Field is an oil field underneath the city of Los Angeles, California. Discovered in 1902, and developed quickly in the following years, the Salt Lake field was once the most productive in California; over 50 million barrels of o ...

. Earl Bell (E. B.) Gilmore, son of A. F. Gilmore, took over the family business. The younger Gilmore started midget car racing and brought professional football to Los Angeles. He built

Gilmore Field Gilmore Field was a minor league baseball park in Los Angeles, California, that served as home to the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League from 1939–57 when they, along with their intra-city rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, were displa ...

for the

Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early- and mid-20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles-based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels. Hollywood Stars (192 ...

baseball team, which was owned by Bing Crosby, Barbara Stanwyck, and

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

. File:Gilmore Oil company 2.jpg, Gilmore Oil Co. gasoline station File:Gilmore Gas.jpg, Gilmore Oil Co. gasoline station in the 1900s When

opened next door in 1952, The Original Farmers Market provided those working or visiting that

television studio A television studio, also called a television production studio, is an installation room in which video productions take place, either for the production of live television and its recording onto video tape or other media such as SSDs, or for ...

a convenient place to shop or eat. In the 1970s The Country Kitchen, a restaurant owned and operated by Jack and Eileen Smith (located next to the still-operating

Du-par's Du-par's is a diner-style restaurant in Los Angeles, California, that was once a modest-sized regional chain. The first location was founded in 1938 at the Los Angeles Farmers Market by James Dunn and Edward Parsons, who combined their surnames t ...

), was popular with stars and their fans alike. Mickey Rooney could sometimes be found working behind the counter. In the early 1990s a major renovation, expansion, and master plan was devised for the Market by Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Inc. The project was initiated to provide new retail, office, and services spaces and reconfigure circulation and parking for the historic site.

In popular culture

The 1971

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...

song " H.E.L.P. Is On the Way" indirectly refers to The Original Farmers Market in its lyrics: "''We ate tonight at Fairfax and 3rd
''(Fairfax and 3rd)''
''We're gonna spread the news and give you the word''." The song served to promote songwriter Brian Wilson's own health food store,

Radiant Radish The Radiant Radish was a health food store located at the corner of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, from 1969 to 1971. It was managed by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, his cousin Steve Korthoff, and friend ...

.Richmond, Akasha (2006). ''Hollywood Dish: More Than 150 Delicious, Healthy Recipes from Hollywood's Chef to the Stars''. Penguin. p. 70. .

References

External links

*
National Farmers Market Association
{{Shopping malls in California Commercial buildings in Los Angeles

Shopping malls on the Westside, Los Angeles Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Fairfax, Los Angeles 1934 establishments in California Food halls Market halls Food retailers

History

In popular culture

See also

References

External links