The Original Farmers Market

The Original Farmers Market is a permanent food and retail destination in Los Angeles, California, located at the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Third Street in the Fairfax District. Unlike temporary or periodic farmers markets, it operates seven days a week and combines produce sellers, specialty grocers, prepared-food counters, sit-down restaurants, bakeries, and tourist-oriented shops in a fixed market complex. Its location is adjacent to The Grove and one block south of Television City, making it both a neighborhood shopping destination and a recognizable visitor attraction. The market’s background reaches back to the late nineteenth century. In 1880, Arthur Fremont Gilmore and a business partner acquired two dairy farms in the Los Angeles area. Gilmore obtained the land that later became the Original Farmers Market, while his partner acquired the land associated with what is now The Grove. After the partners divided their holdings about a decade later, Gilmore controlled a 256-acre ranch and dairy operation. The market tradition developed when roughly a dozen farmers began bringing trucks onto the ranch to sell produce directly to nearby residents. The early arrangement was informal and local, with farmers paying a small daily fee for space. The agricultural use of the property changed after oil was discovered beneath the land in 1905 as part of the Salt Lake Oil Field. Gilmore Oil Company replaced the farm operation, but the site later acquired a new commercial identity as a permanent market. The market formally opened in 1934, during the Depression-era expansion of direct-to-consumer food retail. Its enduring format brought together independent vendors under one roof while preserving the visual and social character of a traditional public market. Over time, the Original Farmers Market became known for the breadth of its offerings. Vendors sell fresh produce and groceries alongside ready-to-eat American food and cuisines associated with Los Angeles’s diverse immigrant communities. This mix allows the market to serve several functions at once: a source of everyday food, a place for prepared meals, a small-business retail environment, and a landmark visited by tourists. The complex has more than 100 vendors, although the specific tenant roster can change over time. The market’s cultural and architectural importance was formally recognized when it was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 543 on July 24, 1991. Its position next to The Grove further strengthened its role within a larger retail and entertainment area. An electric-powered tram connects the market with The Grove, linking the historic market to the newer shopping development. The Original Farmers Market has also extended its presence beyond the original Fairfax location. In 2014, a second location opened in Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. That outpost brought products from restaurants and stalls associated with the original market into an airport setting. The expansion demonstrated that the market functions not only as a historic site but also as a recognizable food-service and retail brand. Despite this extension, its principal identity remains tied to the permanent market at Third and Fairfax, where independent vendors, prepared-food businesses, grocers, and visitors continue to share the same long-established setting.

The history of the Original Farmers Market is tied to the transformation of agricultural land in central Los Angeles. In 1880, Arthur Fremont Gilmore and a partner purchased two dairy farms in the Los Angeles area. Gilmore acquired the tract that would eventually contain the market, while his partner acquired the neighboring property later associated with The Grove. Approximately ten years later, the partners divided their interests. Gilmore retained a 256-acre ranch and its dairy herd, establishing the landholding from which the later market would develop. The first market activity was not a formally planned retail complex. A group of approximately twelve farmers began parking their trucks on Gilmore’s ranch and selling produce directly to local residents. The arrangement connected nearby consumers with growers and created a recurring commercial use for the property. Farmers paid a small daily fee to occupy space, an early form of the vendor-based model that would remain central to the market’s identity. The agricultural character of the property changed after oil was discovered beneath the land in 1905. The site formed part of the Salt Lake Oil Field, and Gilmore Oil Company replaced the ranch’s original farming operation. The oil era illustrates the changing economic uses of the area: dairy farming gave way to petroleum extraction, and the property later became a permanent food and retail destination. The Original Farmers Market opened in 1934. Its fixed, seven-day format distinguished it from many farmers markets that operate only on particular days or seasons. The market gathered produce vendors, grocers, prepared-food sellers, and sit-down eateries in a permanent setting. This structure allowed it to serve local residents while also developing into a recognizable destination for visitors. The vendor mix expanded to include American food and cuisines reflecting the many immigrant communities that shaped Los Angeles’s culinary culture. As the surrounding city developed, the market retained its location at Fairfax Avenue and Third Street. It is near Television City and next to The Grove, a later retail and entertainment complex. An electric-powered tram connects the two destinations, helping integrate the historic market into the broader visitor economy of the area without eliminating its separate identity. The city formally recognized the site on July 24, 1991, when it was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 543. The designation established the market as more than a commercial collection of food stalls; it also acknowledged its historical role in Los Angeles’s development and its continuity as a public gathering place. In 2014, the market expanded to Los Angeles International Airport with a location in Terminal 5. The airport site carried products from restaurants and stalls associated with the original market, extending its food-service identity to travelers. The expansion did not replace the Fairfax market, which remained the principal location and the source of the brand’s historic reputation. Today, the Original Farmers Market remains an active, permanent complex with more than 100 vendors. Its business model combines independent tenancy, prepared food, grocery retail, dining, and tourism. The market’s long history is therefore not based on a single packaged product or national chain format, but on the continuity of a place: a former ranch and oil-property site that became a landmark public market and continues to connect Los Angeles food culture, neighborhood commerce, and tourism.

• 2014

  Airport location opens

  [1]Original Farmers Marketen.wikipedia.org

  A second market location opened in Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport.

• 1991

  Los Angeles historic designation

  [1]Original Farmers Marketen.wikipedia.org

  The market was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 543 on July 24.

• 1934

  Permanent market opens

  [1]Original Farmers Marketen.wikipedia.org

  The Original Farmers Market opened at Fairfax Avenue and Third Street, establishing its permanent seven-day retail and food-market format.

• 1905

  Oil discovery changes the property

  [1]Original Farmers Marketen.wikipedia.org

  Oil was discovered beneath the land as part of the Salt Lake Oil Field, and Gilmore Oil Company replaced the farm operation.

• 1890

  The partners divide their landholdings

  [1]Original Farmers Marketen.wikipedia.org

  After roughly a decade, the partners separated their holdings, leaving Gilmore with a 256-acre ranch and dairy herd.

• 1880

  Gilmore and partner acquire Los Angeles dairy farms

  [1]Original Farmers Marketen.wikipedia.org

  Arthur Fremont Gilmore and a partner purchased two dairy farms. Gilmore’s tract later became the site of the Original Farmers Market.

A historic, permanent public-market destination combining independent food vendors, produce sellers, prepared meals, restaurants, specialty groceries, and tourist retail in a highly visible Los Angeles location.

• Food retail · 1934

  Fresh produce and groceries

  Produce sellers and grocery-oriented vendors form part of the market’s original direct-to-consumer identity. The market developed from farmers bringing trucks of produce to the site, and its current format continues to include fresh foods, specialty groceries, and related provisions alongside prepared-food businesses.

• Food service · 1934

  Prepared foods and restaurants

  The market includes ready-to-eat food counters and sit-down eateries serving American food as well as cuisines associated with Los Angeles’s diverse immigrant communities. These vendors make the market a dining destination as well as a place to purchase ingredients.

• Specialty retail · 1934

  Tourist and specialty retail

  In addition to food businesses, the market contains specialty and tourist-oriented shops. These offerings support the site’s role as a visitor attraction near The Grove and Television City while complementing its neighborhood retail function.

• Airport food retail · 2014

  Los Angeles International Airport Terminal 5 offerings

  The Terminal 5 location brings products from restaurants and stalls connected with the original market to travelers at Los Angeles International Airport. It extends the market’s prepared-food and specialty-retail proposition beyond the Fairfax location.

• 2014

  Expansion to Los Angeles International AirportStrategy

  Background

  The market’s established identity as a Los Angeles food destination created an opportunity to serve travelers beyond its historic Fairfax location.

  Action taken

  A second location was opened in Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport, featuring products from restaurants and stalls associated with the original market.

  Aftermath

  The airport site extended the market’s presence into travel retail while the original Third Street and Fairfax complex remained its principal location.

  Source

1. 1Original Farmers Marketen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Original Farmers Market official websitefarmersmarketla.com