Farmers Market Move Date Draws Near

By DAYNA DRUM and SARAH SHMERLING

With just a few weeks remaining before the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market temporarily moves to make way for the construction of Rick Caruso’s recently approved Palisades Village, vendors and customers can begin to prepare for a possible move to the Palisades Recreation Center.

For weeks, the move was rumored to be down to two locations: Palisades Recreation Center and Palisades Charter High School.

But it seems like the high school is off the table, at least for now.

Thomas Adjani, executive assistant at Pali High, told the Palisadian-Post on Tuesday afternoon that the market will not be coming to the high school.

The Rec Center remains an option. Park Director Erich Haas said that he is working with upper management at the center to see if it will be possible for the market to move there. They are hoping to have answers by the third week of July.

The last day the market will be open at its current location is July 17. The market will reopen on July 24 or after at its temporary location.

As recently as Sunday, June 26, dozens of vendors at the market were unclear of where they would be moving, with one explaining that they would be willing to move to whichever location, they just want to know where that will be.

Customers are turning to social media to get answers about where the new location of the market.

“[The Pacific Palisades Farmers Market] needs a new home, please post new location, we can’t part with this precious market … ” a comment on the farmers market’s Facebook page read.

The market is currently located on Swarthmore Avenue, between Sunset Boulevard and Monument Street, and is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday, rain or shine.

The Pacific Palisades Farmers Market is run by Raw Inspiration, a company founded by Jennifer McColm that coordinates and manages 24 markets throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including Brentwood Farmers Market and USC Farmers Market. The company has locations from Oxnard to Lancaster to Downtown LA.

Each of the markets are certified, which “means that the Department of Agriculture of the State of California has inspected the farms to ensure the produce being sold at the markets is California grown,” according to the company’s website.