Over 100 years ago, A.F. Gilmore purchased two Los Angeles-based dairy farms with a partner. The two partners divided their holdings in 1890 before Gilmore occupied the ranch, its herd of cows and farmhands. Now, the property is The Original Farmers Market location at 3rd & Fairfax in LA.
When Gilmore wished to enlarge his herd of cows, he started to drill wells to get water. Instead of water, Gilmore discovered oil. An oil derrick field soon swapped the herd of the animals. The oil field around the so-called ‘La Brea Tar Pits’ kept generating crude oil, but the LA government disallowed the large-scale derrick operation in the US city.
The old Gilmore property stayed mostly unoccupied through to the 1930s. As the Great Depression was at its peak, entrepreneurs Roger Dahlhjelm and Fred Beck approached Earl Bell Gilmore with a business idea. The idea was to build a new village at 3rd & Fairfax in which local agriculturalists could sell what they produced. In July 1934, some non-farmer merchants and many agriculturalists arrived there and started to sell fresh produce with trucks.
In October 1934, agriculturalists and merchants, which included grocers, restaurants and other service providers, moved into LA’s permanent stalls. In 1934, Los Angeles opened Gilmore Stadium before the farmers market, and it was the home stadium of the Los Angeles Bulldogs. It hosted boxing matches, motorcycle races, swim exhibitions, rodeos and American football matches. In 1939, LA opened Gilmore Field, the home stadium of the Major League Baseball team known as the Hollywood Stars. It was among the few Los Angeles baseball teams before the Brooklyn Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA.
After all these years, the market has that old-fashioned charm for dining and shopping. Vendors such as Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts and Patsy D’Amore’s Pizza have been in their same location for over 70 years now.
The baseball field and stadium do not exist any longer, but to visit the market means to return to a previous point in time despite the gentrification around it. Whether you are seeking holiday gifts, produce, superior meat, nuts and candy or lunch, the so-called Original Farmers Market has many options for you. Here, we discuss some of the local favorites at the market.
Magee’s House of Nuts
The machine to make peanut butter at the shop caught the eye of US President Dwight D. Eisenhower during his visit. Years afterwards, the famous music band called The Beatles went to the same location. It has a delectable selection of pecans, walnuts and macadamias. The oldest occupant of the market, it has been using peanuts to create the butter product since the year 1934 without any added sugar.
Kaylin & Kaylin Pickles
Scott Kaylin brought sweet, vegan and savory pickles made in NY-style without gluten to the Pacific Coast. Kaylin & Kaylin Pickles is among the recent inclusions in the market. Here, you can find a bag of jalapeno, half-sour, kosher dill, mustard, horseradish, honey mustard and spicy dill for a host gift.
Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market
It is perhaps among the best gourmet markets in LA and is a foodie’s dream destination. It offers not only numerous imported specialty food items, charcuterie, wines, olive oils, baskets, giftware but also a bistro, demonstrations and a seafood marketplace for bouillabaisse on New Year’s Eve.
Huntington Meats, Poultry and Sausages
It is an old-school butcher store with a premium collection of steaks, poultry, chops, meatballs and homemade sausages. Several excellent restaurants in LA source their protein products from this butcher shop, another mainstay of the market.
Rick’s Produce
It is among the best places to get local produce as well as sources organic vegetables and fruits from a Fallbrook-based farm location. It has a snack counter where you can find salads, smoothies, acai bowls, carry jams, and juices.
Zia Valentina
The vendor offers Waffleshot, a world-renowned coffee product. It is a cone with chocolate as well as filled with granita, coffee or espresso. Thanks to the product, it has turned into a vendor that is popular among coffee fans.
Anaheim House of Jerky
Are you seeking a small gift to put in a Christmas stocking for your favorite non-vegetarian friend or family member? If so, remember that this stall provides over 40 different variants, which include not only vegan versions but also conventional beef, elk, buffalo, and venison.
Littlejohn’s English Toffee House
Michael Graves makes handmade chocolate, toffee and caramel confections each day at Littlejohn’s, which has long been a customer favorite at the market. This store has more than enough gift kits, which include holiday specials such as old-fashioned peppermint bark and eggnog fudge.
Do you want to have brunch or try some margaritas while people-watching at a casual dining restaurant here? If so, think about El Granjero Cantina as the location for doing it all. There are gift cards at the market location. It is also worth visiting Market Tavern, a pub with rock and roll photographs, to have a pint as well. About 05:00 pm on Sundays, you could catch some real-time music from Market Tavern owner Gary Twinn’s expatriate musician friends at the location over a chicken curry dish.
