The La Jolla Open Aire Market has come a long way in the past quarter-century. It has weathered the storms of rainy seasons, businesses coming and going, the COVID-19 pandemic, construction at its home site at La Jolla Elementary School and more.
And as the weekly Sunday farmers market celebrates its 25th anniversary, some of those who offer their fare and help behind the scenes can say they’ve seen it all from Day 1.
Former La Jolla Elementary parent Sherry Ahern founded the market with 14 farmers and it was held for the first time on Oct. 25, 1998.
That year “was the rainiest winter in 25 years and there was a citywide infestation of whitefly,” which damages plants, Ahern said.
But “knowing how much La Jolla needed this and [La Jolla Elementary] needed money desperately, you just keep going,” she said.
Proceeds from the nonprofit market go to the school to help fund programs and services such as music, arts and technology and to help keep class sizes small.
“We were the first to have artisans,” Ahern said. “People in tourist areas may not want a tomato if staying in a hotel, but maybe a necklace or a good meal.”
The market’s annual Winter Carnival for the holidays is coming up Dec. 10, when guests can write letters to Santa Claus, visit Santa’s workshop, decorate ornaments, get their faces painted, see balloon art, play games, make art and more.
But the market’s bread and butter has always been the vendors, and now more than 30 farmers, 40 gourmet food purveyors and about 45 artisans report every Sunday.
One of them is Kaneta Harmon of Mia Brazilia, who calls the market her “corporate office” and has been vending her clothing line at the market for more than a decade.
“I feel the market is the best thing that has happened to my career,” Harmon said. “When COVID hit, I couldn’t sell clothes, so I started making masks. Someone came to my booth and I gave him a mask and it was someone that owns hotels in San Diego. The next day I got a massive order for hotels to carry my masks.”
She said chance meetings like that happen all the time and that at the La Jolla market, “you meet people that work for huge companies and you … get such opportunities from that. It blows my mind. That’s why I love it.”
Harmon added that the market’s energy makes it stand out.
“You are out in the fresh air and everyone is happy,” she said. “The vendors actually make their own goods, so it’s really unique stuff for La Jolla.
“It’s one of the biggest markets in the area. That’s my biggest market of the three that I do, and it’s the nicest one for sure. The vendors have more quality stuff and the farmers are amazing. … For someone like me, I love that you can get everything fresh for the week.”
Some of those fresh offerings come from farms like JR Organics. Carlos Rodriguez has been selling at the La Jolla market on his family’s behalf since the event’s debut.
“In the beginning, there were different managers and they were really trying to get organized, so we would get moved around a lot and there was a lot of change,” Rodriguez said. “But it was OK because the customers found us wherever we were.”
Since then, “the market has improved a lot,” with more organized arrangements, he said. “Now they put all the farmers in one location, which is good,” he said. “It’s easier for customers to find us instead of running around the market.”
JR Organics, which offers 50-60 different types of produce, depending on the season, has become a mainstay for the market.
“We have our own customers that are like family,” Rodriguez said. “They us and we know what they are looking for, so we are happy to bring that to their tables. We’re so used to being at the La Jolla market every weekend. You get to know the customers and pay attention to who did or didn’t show up.”
The market is open rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Girard Avenue and Genter Street in front of La Jolla Elementary. It typically closes only for the occasional holiday that falls on a Sunday.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented back-to-back non-holiday closures March 15 and 22, 2020.
It reopened March 29 with vendors operating six feet apart to accommodate social distancing requirements. There was only one way in and one way out, with a limited number of customers at a time.
Things eventually returned to normal, but earlier this year, the market moved to the street on Girard Avenue to accommodate the ongoing whole-site modernization project on the La Jolla Elementary School campus. The move will be in effect while the $48 million modernization continues for a new kindergarten building, lunch structure, upper-field restroom and upgrades and renovations to the existing buildings. The entire project is expected to be completed in 2024.
For a list of La Jolla Open Aire Market vendors and to sign up for its newsletter, visit lajollamarket.com. Market updates also are available at Instagram.com/lajollaopenairemarket or (858) 454-1699. ◆
