Farmers Market - Los Angeles, California - Landmark Location for Produce and More

Located just south of CBS Television City at the corner of 3rd and Fairfax, Farmers Market is a historic Los Angeles landmark and tourist attraction. For 75 years, it has been a gathering point for local foodies, celebrities and area chefs. In addition to food stalls and produce markets, the Market features tourist shops, restaurants and even a service for shoe shines and footwear repair.

The original Farmers Market was the brainchild of oilman Earl Bell Gilmore, the son of a dairy farmer who owned the land here known as Gilmore Island. In July of 1934, a contingent of local farmers parked their trucks on the empty property and displayed their produce on the tailgates. Enticed by fresh goods and open-air commerce, customers quickly arrived by car to stroll among the trucks purchasing vegetables, fruit, and flowers.

Farmers Market almost instantly became an institution. Around it grew a mercantile community, including the Grove retail center, North Market and Gilmore Bank. By the 1940s, permanent covered stalls for the produce vendors had been created.

A wonderful clock tower was erected, too. It still stands to this day as testament to "An Idea'' that spurred the development. When the new North Market Building was added to the property in 2002, with ground level retail spaces and upper level offices, the clock tower was moved to its current location in the plaza.

Today, the grocers of Farmers Market are well-known for their culinary advice as well as for their flavorful, fresh products. Among the many items that can be purchased here daily are baked goods, homemade-style ice cream, hot sauces, nuts, candies and teas as well as locally grown fruit and vegetables.

Many of the merchants have been here so long, they are practically brand names. The grocers known as Farm Boy and Farm Fresh Produce, for example, sell apples, oranges, melons and seasonal fruits along with potatoes, onions, lettuce, garlic and other produce. Farmers Market Poultry and Puritan Poultry specialize in chicken, turkey, eggs and exotic fowl, and Huntington Meats & Sausage is the city's exclusive purveyor of Harris Ranch meats. Marconda's Meats also offers fine meat products, while Tusquella's Seafoods handles lobster, shrimp, salmon, tuna, cod, snapper, oysters, and a rich selection of daily catches.

If looking at all the delicious produce and food items arouses an appetite, the Market has some four dozen restaurants on the premises ready to serve. They range from such national chains as Chipotle, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Johnny Rockets and Starbucks to ethnic cuisine like China Depot, Singapore's Banana Leaf and the Cajun delights of the Gumbo. Pizza, salad bars, deli sandwiches, sushi, crepes, ice cream... many of the restaurants here offer table service, while the Market's open-air patios and upstairs dining deck feature ample free seating.

It is not only about food at Farmers Market. There are also numerous shops for dry goods and sundries, including Bath & Body Works, Kip's Toyland, Elements Spa & Salon, Sporte Fashion, Treasures of the Pacific, Weiss Jewelry, and much, much more. Most merchants are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 9pm, on Saturdays 9am to 8pm, and on Sundays 10am to 7pm.

Farmers Market is located at 6333 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, California 90036, at the northeast corner of 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue. From Los Angeles International Airport, take Interstate 405 north for 7.5 miles to Interstate 10. Turn east on Interstate 10 and travel four miles to the Fairfax Avenue exit. Turn left on Fairfax Avenue and continue three miles to the 3rd Street intersection. Parking is available in either of the Market's two convenient lots, and it is free for up to two hours with purchase from a Market merchant.