Topics / BUSINESS : Fees Reduced at Swap Meet

Managers at the L.A. International Marketplace in Irwindale have given vendors a break on their rent, and the city has agreed to negotiate a discount on the business license fee for the swap meet operator.

Managers of the 64-acre outdoor swap meet, which opened in July, asked the city for financial relief, including exempting unoccupied vendor stations from a $5-per-space monthly business license fee. Vendor space occupancy is running about 50% among the 893 spaces.

The Marketplace got off to a good start, with 90% occupancy during late summer and fall. But winter is a slow time for the business.

A vendor space of 15 feet square once cost $25 to $30 a day; now it costs $18.