The Little Market Closes Palisades Village Store

Signs at Former Amazon Books Space Reveal Saint Laurent ‘Opening Soon’

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

With 2023 underway, Caruso’s Palisades Village has seen two additional changes in its tenants.

The Little Market, one of the original tenants to open with the development, has closed while signs revealing that Saint Laurent will be “opening soon” have been placed along the space formerly occupied by Amazon Books at Swarthmore and Sunset.

Saint Laurent, founded by a French fashion designer in the 1960s, offers a line of luxury handbags, ready to wear, shoes, leather goods and accessories for men and women.

Amazon announced at the start of March 2022 that it would be closing all of its bookstores and pop-up shops, including Amazon Books in Palisades Village, which closed on March 19, 2022.

The Little Market closed on January 8, citing changes in the brand’s direction. A post on Instagram referenced a letter that was shared, announcing the “next evolution” of the nonprofit.

“As part of this transition,” the post continued, “we have made the difficult decision to close our storefront in Pacific Palisades.”

The Little Market—a fair-trade shop—was co-founded by Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla following an “inspiring trip to Tanzania and Uganda in 2012,” according to the shop’s website.

The brand offers an array of “ethically sourced, artisan-made” products, highlighting the work of women creators in “underserved communities” around the globe to support sustainable income opportunities. It sells a range of items, from candles to totes, accessories, bath items, kitchen products and more.

“The Little Market is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the economic self-sufficiency of women worldwide through dignified income opportunities,” according to the website. “Our mission is anchored in the fundamental belief that every person has the right to safe jobs and fair, livable wages. Each piece is made following fair-trade principles, ultimately contributing to a life-changing sustainable income and giving back to the people who made it.”

As of 2023, The Little Market shared plans to have “limited products available for purchase” through its website, as its focus shifts to work with “larger retailers seeking out fair-trade, artisan-made goods”—with a goal of increasing the “reach of artisan and producer groups to shoppers.”

“Opening our first-ever storefront was a significant milestone in The Little Market’s history,” according to the post. “The physical space presented a unique opportunity to share artisan-made goods in person with shoppers like you.”

Since it first opened in 2018, The Little Market has hosted events and speaking engagements, which allowed “the community to interact,” amplifying “awareness for human rights and social justice issues.”

“We are thankful for all that we have accomplished together over the past four years,” the post stated. “Through a brick-and-mortar location, we grew our community and expanded our reach in meaningful ways—helping to bridge the gap between customers and artisan and producer groups. The more products we sold, the more dignified income opportunities we supported.”

Those interested in continuing to shop The Little Market can do so at thelittlemarket.com and follow along on Instagram @thelittlemarket.

As the Palisadian-Post went to print Tuesday, it remained unclear what tenant would be taking over The Little Market’s vacated space.

Information about when Saint Laurent would open was not provided by Caruso at press time.

“We pride ourselves in continuing to bring new and exciting brands to the Pacific Palisades community,” a representative shared, “[and] look forward to announcing new retailers very soon.”