Spoiling for a Fight Over Market

The aroma of fresh strawberries and cantaloupe that wafts above the Westwood Farmers’ Market each Thursday afternoon seems to mask a stink behind the scenes.

Southland Farmers’ Market Assn., a trade organization that represents farmers markets throughout Southern California, complains about reckless spending by the Westwood market. The market’s manager, Aaron Shapiro, argues that the trade organization has been useless and has violated their contract.

Their rivalry has taken them to small-claims court twice, with promises of more lawsuits if Shapiro doesn’t pay the nearly $20,000 in dues Southland contends he owes.

The disagreements flared two weeks ago, when Southland, which represents more than 20 farmers markets, expelled Westwood from its group.

“We felt the need to distance ourselves from practices we felt very uncomfortable with,” said Howell Tumlin, Southland’s executive director.

Although the two disagree on almost everything, including the market’s mission and the details of the expulsion, there are a few things they see eye to eye on.

The market, one of the largest in Los Angeles, was established 10 years ago in an effort to give Westwood Village an economic boost, both said. Its sponsor was the now-defunct Westwood Village Community Alliance, a nonprofit established along with the market to invigorate the area. But the alliance was disbanded in September 2002 after an audit found the organization had amassed huge deficits.

The market, however, endures.

Located in the heart of Westwood Village, the market has more than 80 vendors who sell not only fruits and vegetables but also clothes, jewelry and candles, Shapiro said.

Throngs of shoppers wander among peanut, bakery and strawberry stands as a band -- a different one every week -- serenades them with jazz, reggae or salsa.

“It’s a real community event,” Carol Schneider said after buying a basketful of fruit. “It’s very conducive to sit and relax. This is part of a summer tradition: Fourth of July at the beach and Westwood Farmers’ Market.”

Relations between Southland and Shapiro, however, are anything but festive.

Tumlin said the market was established to help raise money for improvements in the community. “We had hoped that it was going to be a great benefit to the community, and I mean benefit beyond just existing, but rather returning the profits back to the community,” he said. “This is no way for the market to operate. This market is operating like it’s a private business.”

But Shapiro says the masses attracted by the market every week are proof that the market is fulfilling its duty to revitalize this upscale community.

“We were established to bring people back onto the streets,” he said. “The notion that the market was set up as some kind of cash cow, I just don’t get it. [Tumlin] is just pulling things out of thin air.”

The market’s profits, Shapiro said, are to ensure the street-fair atmosphere keeps bringing people into the village. He invests in band equipment, garbage collection, a staff of eight to 10 part-time workers, and a courtyard full of umbrellas, tables and chairs.

As a result, from February to December of 2003, the market raked in about $132,000 and spent nearly $130,000, Shapiro said.

“It costs a lot of money to put these things together,” he said. “It’s hard to keep a market like this running. It’s by hustle that we actually make our ends meet.”

Shapiro said the dues the market was paying Southland each month for 10 years brought none of the services the trade organization promised in return. So Shapiro said he stopped paying.

“I believe the market has been violated by Tumlin’s breach of contract,” Shapiro said. “It’s the best decision we’ve made in Westwood in a while. We stood up for what was right.”

The contract between the market and Southland stipulates that the trade organization is to provide newsletters to its member markets, help with advertising and ease negotiations with elected officials. None of these services, Shapiro contends, were honored.

The dispute has yet to affect the vendors or the hundreds of shoppers.

“I heard about it,” said farmer Robert Mizuno, as he peeled a peach for customers to sample. “We don’t care about it as long as the market continues to grow and people continue to come. We’re grateful this is here.”