More than 80 vendors have already signed up to sell at the ArtGricultural Market, a combination of a swap meet and farmer’s market, which opened Saturday, December 3 as a legal alternative to the peddler’s market that runs along eight blocks of 6th Street in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The market, with room for a total of 120 vendors, attempts to replace sellers of questionable goods with vetted sellers of legitimate merchandise, who apply for permits, are fingerprinted, and enroll in a class taught by the LAPD.
Location and Hours
Located on Little Street, a few blocks away from the center of Westlake, the ArtGricultural Market has been funded with $85,000 in federal dollars, the report notes. The authorities have promoted the market, which will run Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 6, for the past three months.
“We’re giving people an opportunity to move on,” Councilmember Ed Reyes told the Times. “We don’t want to arrest them, we don’t want to take their goods, but we need them to live under the rules.” While many vendors feel the new market is a great opportunity to avoid the possibility of police action on the Westlake streets, others worry about paying the fees involved and would prefer to take a wait and see approach to see if the new location is successful.